A Human's Bat Rose
by RoseNightenDove
Summary: Hika is a half bat demon who has moved to a small town outside Tokyo. She meets a young man going by the name Kuronue Kumori. Will the reincarnated Hiromi fall for the reincarnated Kuronue again, or will others keep them apart? Kuronue x OC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder Hika," her mother told the young woman before her. Tylia the half bat demon watched her daughter that was slowly binding her bat wings down against her back. The special bindings that would hold her bat wings underneath the shirt of her school uniform were spelled so that the wings would not interfere with her sitting or moving about while making them invisible to anyone that didn't have spirit energy.

This was the third time that the young Hika had been talking about how she didn't like the bindings. She had made the mistake of saying that she didn't feel in the slightest good looking without her wings. She felt like a stupid human she had said. And she did look like a human as well. Her black hair which had been grown to her waist had been cut to her shoulders, which Hika had insisted was the newest human 'popular' style of the time. The young woman getting ready for high school had also pointed out that her hair would have centuries to grow out again. The eyes that peered at her mother with a 'are you serious' look were the pale blue-grey that Hika's grandmother, Hiromi, had had—just another piece of evidence that she was Hiromi's incarnation.

"And if you think looking like a human is a bad thing, then I would like to remind you that Lady Hiromi your grandmother—"Tylia said before Hika rolled her eyes and cut her off.

"Was a spy for Lord Koenma who has so graciously allowed us to come here to live? She was also a human that was able to ensnare Kuronue's heart. She is I and to insult humans is to insult my spirit which passed to me the day I was born for that day Hiromi had died as well." Hika said in a bored tone. She had heard this all before. There wasn't anything new to her mother's reasons that living among humans was a good thing

"Yes. Now," Tylia said coming forward to mess with her daughter's hair. "I don't see why you would care about being popular when you insult humans all the time. Also, remember that we are in human world. Disagreements are fought with words not fists and powers."

"Yes mother." Hika answer and brushed her bangs out of the way and contemplated her hair. "I should get some dye and put a silly color in my hair. I mean I'm the newest thing to come to this town since the invention of the television and radio." She received a slap on the back for that, right between her two bound and protesting wings. She winced and glared icily over her shoulder at her mother who smiled sweetly.

"Just making sure your bindings are good and tight." Tylia told her daughter with a satisfied smile before she turned away and left her daughter to finish pulling on the school outfit—a black knee length skirt and white blouse. There had been a fight over that choice of clothing as well. Hika had wanted to wear the men's outfit—a pair of slacks and a shirt that matched the girls outfit—because she'd be able to run and at least feel some wind through her hair—her favorite aspect of flying. But her mother and the school had vetoed her request.

Hika didn't stay around for her mother or the other two—Takji and Night—to wish her well in her mission: blend into the school and don't make a fuss about demons. She slipped like the skilled thief she was trained to be out of the house and moved down the road towards the school. She had put a necklace of a white rose with a red ruby in the middle around her neck to accent the few buttons on her shirt that she had left open when she'd dressed. It had been something that had been given to Hiromi it was said because few lived today that had been there that day when she had accepted the gift.

As she turned a corner she saw the school looming before her. A nervous left hand went up to fiddle with the necklace as she stared up at the school. She wasn't daunted by its size. No, Yoko Kurama's castle was three times as big as the school. It was the amount of humans that were flooding the courtyard through the gated entrance. Maybe 300 teenagers were standing in small groups with their friends. That, as far as Hika knew, was maybe one third of the total number of humans she would be seeing in the school.

Never being one to back down the young woman raised her head and released the security necklace. Taking a deep breath, she walked forward, though she was certain, against all logic, that her wing were visible when the first group stopped talking and turned to look at her as she walked through the crowds to the entrance of the school. Trying to relax, Hika looked around as if the staring didn't bother her at all. The staring would go away eventually when the news of her arrival was outshined by something new.

As she walked a group did catch her eye. While she kept her face forward, she looked at them from the corner of her eyes. It was a group of three boys that were staring at her—but not out of curiosity at her being the new girl. Their eyes held that of surprise and intrigue. She almost faltered in her stride as she surveyed them.

A young man of maybe five feet seven inches height had the hair of a carrot cut in a common short hairstyle and the eyes of the sky on a clear spring day. On his neck was a tattoo that she could only partially make out because half was hidden behind the collar of his shirt. He could have been seventeen or eighteen Hika guessed, testing her skills.

The second tallest, beating her by three inches at five feet eleven inches, was more interesting than the carrot top. This one had green eyes and bright red hair but was not wearing the uniform for the school as the other two did. Those eyes twinkled with a light that she knew all too well from her teacher who had died almost eighteen years before. Hika considered changing course and going over to say hello for the first time to the human form of Yoko Kurama. Her mother had met him a year before at the Demon World Tournament, but Hika had been busy fighting an opponent when Suichi Minamino had offered them a position in the Human World as portal watchers.

But then her gaze landed on the last young man who was easily six feet five inches tall. He watched her with almost the same interest as a viper looking a mouse. His eyes, which at first glance suggested being black, were a mix of the darkest purple she had ever seen on top of a black-blue upon closer inspection, making the difference in colors almost invisible. His hair, though pulled back in a horse tail at the nape of his neck was black.

She shuddered and decided that it would be better to let Kurama (as she had been told he went by now) come to her rather than she go to him. Just because they worked for Lord Koenma on the side did not mean they were completely safe from everything. In the smallest of waves, Hika showed Kurama that she'd seen him and would like to talk to him eventually before he left for whatever mission he was being given next. All of this happened in less than thirty seconds and Hika had passed them and were mounting the steps into the school.

The young half-bat demon was on her way to her locker when she heard the tell-tale sound of three sets of footsteps following her. She closed her eyes and opened up her demonic senses. She smiled and gave the smallest nod to herself. She felt Kurama's demonic energies. Then as she left her senses open, she noted a subtler energies that she couldn't identify. She paused and looked behind her tactically. Kurama was being followed by the tall, 'evil' looking young man. It was strange to feel such demonic energies from a person that looked so much like a regular human. There had been human looking demons that she had met before but this young man was so human that it was scary. He didn't have anything that was possibly demonic around him except for the small amounts of energies that had been coming off him in waves.

Kurama walked up to the new girl and broke out into a smile as he surveyed the young woman. His friend stopped next to him and continued to look at her like she was something he was going to eat soon.

"May I help you?" the young woman asked, not wanting to give away anything that he might not want her to say in front of this strange human. Hika lowered her grey eyes from the tall intruder to look at Kurama instead.

"Actually I was going to ask you if you needed any help yourself. I am Suichi Minamino, also known as Kurama around my friends." Kurama asked before gesturing to the tall man behind him. "This is my friend Kuronue Kumori."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Hika said distantly, watching Kurama with suspicion the moment that the first name was spoken. Was he trying to pull her leg? Kuronue had been killed almost a century before she had been born. What it just a coincidence that Kurama was friends with a human that had weird demonic properties in his energies that was named Kuronue? No. Nothing around Kurama was a gamble. He made sure everything was right.

Hika's eyes widened and then closed as if she were trying not to say anything. "You, sir Kurama, have a lot of explaining to do when I get you alone." She whispered as she turned and walked away, leaving the two to go to her new locker and then off to class.

Nibbling her lip as she entered the classroom, she waited up next to the desk for the homeroom teacher to appear and ask them where to sit. She wasn't nervous. She stared at anyone that was willing to meet her eye. She watched them carefully, mentally marking those that were popular, the athletes, and the loners. Her thief instincts were demanding her attention though she was supposed to be just a normal human girl. Finally she looked down and didn't meet anyone else's gaze.

When the teacher said to introduce herself she finally looked up and bowed to the classroom. "Hello everyone, I am Hika Shiroibara. I moved here with my mother and aunts into our old family home that has been deserted for almost two hundred years. I hope to make friends here." With that said she was given permission to take a seat in the back of the room next to the door, which she took grateful to be out of the eye sight of most of her classmates. It wasn't a thief's job to be seen. It was a thief's job to take without notice. 

Kurama finally caught up with her at lunch, this time mercifully alone. She was sitting on the window on the edge of the schools roof, listening to the wind play with her hair and around her ears. She had spelled the door to alert her if any humans were coming up and had unleashed her wings so that she could stretch them from her bindings. Thus, she sat in only an undershirt that had been cut to allow her wings through and her skirt. Scars that had been invisible earlier because sleeves had been covering them were now plainly visible to any that knew where to look.

"I forgot how much you looked like your grandmother." Kurama said when he was sure she knew he was there and wouldn't jump off the roof at a surprise. He stood behind her about three feet so that when she launched herself into the air, did a backflip and landed next to him, he wasn't hit.

"I forgot how much you liked to compare me to my grandmother." Hika told him in return with a straight face, before breaking out into a grin and returning the hug that Kurama offered her. "It is great to see you again, even if you are in a silly human form when you could be your fox spirit self."

"It is great to see you as well, though my appearance here will not be constant, as you have been told. I will be off in three days on my next assignment by Koenma. I wanted to make sure that you were going to be okay in this human school. You were, after all, my favorite sparring partner when you were a child."

Hika laughed. While she wasn't the best fighter, she had always managed to stay out of his reach, or when she was really angry, kick him in the shin, which had caused him to laugh rather than be angry. She had loved to play pranks on the giant of a kitsune.

"So why did you ditch me Kurama—Oh, Miss White Rose, right?" came a voice from behind them. They released each other form the embrace and looked towards the entrance onto the roof. Standing there was Kuronue Kumori.

It took a moment for Hika to remember that her fictitious last name meant 'white rose' in Japanese. She ended up scowling at him. "You can call me Hika. Shiroibara is my family name. And I don't like it being translated for such a stupid purpose." She told him stonily before she remembered at the last minute that her wings, which she'd been so happy to have unbounded were in complete view of the human. She quickly pulled her wings in close and hid behind Kurama.

"Oh my, Kurama, I am sorry I completely forgot that—"She started to whisper, trying to look over her shoulder for her school blouse and binders. They would have to find some way to get the human to forget what he saw. Her heart was hammering against her chest at the sight of the human. Why hadn't her spells gone off to warn her that a human was about to come up and see her without her bindings? When she reached out her power to feel for her spell she felt nothing. Her eyes widened as she looked over Kurama's shoulder at the human. He'd destroyed her spells!

Kurama was chuckling. She could hear it through his chest and by the movements of his shoulders. Then he moved out of the way and shook his head.

"Relax little Hika. Kuronue is here as your guard of sorts. You both need protection, but Lord Koenma is reluctant to assign you official protectors. Your mother and her adoptive aunts are busy looking over their section of the portal. Kuronue knows about Demon World and will be able to make sure you don't fall into the mistake of taking your bindings off again." Kurama said, motioning for Kuronue to near them.

Hika backed away as Kuronue neared. When he was standing next to Kurama, she turned and picked up her bindings. With quick work she pulled them on and fastened them and then pulled on her shirt. She heard the two talking as she stood fixing her outfit. She couldn't hear what they were saying but it sounded like an argument of the serious kind. She suspected that Kuronue was trying to refuse to help. When she turned around though to face the two men, Kurama was gone and Kuronue waited for her. He was glaring away at the sky to the east.

She put on a tough smile and held out her hand in some semblance of being polite. "So you know about demons right?"

"I know a bit. It comes from having a demon turning up and saying 'you are the reincarnated form of my best friend' when you are 5 and he's six." Kuronue said at an attempt of humor as he took her hand and shook it. Hika blinked and tried to figure out who he could be talking about. "Kurama." Kuronue finally elaborated when her look of confusion didn't vanish. The confusion vanished only for a second and then she was frowning up at him.

Hika was about to say something when she noticed that he hadn't yet release her hand. She slipped her small hand away from his larger one and hid it behind her body. Could it be that this Kuronue was the Kuronue that her grandmother had fallen in love with all those centuries ago, like Kurama was Yoko Kurama, only unawaken? She had definitely felt a spark when he had gripped her hand.

"I see. Well, I hope we can get along, and perhaps learn a bit from each other." Hika finally said, letting the thoughts of reincarnations slide for the time.

"A diplomatic demon? Now I really have seen almost everything there is to see about demon kind. Hurry, give me an apologetic demon and I will be set for life." Kuronue said before turning and motioning. "Have any lunch?"

Hika had chuckled at his exclamation of her being a diplomatic demon. He knew little about demons if he thought that she had been being diplomatic. Friends could be allies and allies were to be trusted less than enemies and enemies were to be trusted only as far as one could throw them. Learning from another demon was simply a way to get better than that demon and to someday destroy them.

"No I do not. I wasn't sure if I'd be hungry. Lord Yoko taught us, the demons underneath him, how to go up to a day without food. I was going to bring a lunch but I wasn't sure what was normal for humans to eat around here." She explained as she followed him down the stairs.

"Well I have some that I'll be willing to share for today only. I promised Kurama I'd take care of you, and part of that is not letting you fall over in class from hunger." Kuronue said as he led her to a small table in the middle of a courtyard where the carrot top human was sitting, guarding two lunches. Once again, Hika could feel the people staring after her as she moved behind Kuronue.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: HI THERE EVERYONE! :D Everyone ready to see the conclusion of Hiromi's (Now Hika) and Kuronue's story? Good. I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter. If you have any questions about it (For I think some of it may be a bit hard to understand) Ask me via comment or pm, otherwise I will be explaining more on the form of reincarnations and other things in later chapters :3 -ROSEY<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Note from Author: All right there are a few things in here that may not make sense since I'm introducing new material. First off, if you have any questions after the explanations in the story, pm me or leave a question on the comment. :) Second of all... o-o I forgot my second thought... Hmm... Oh well :D Once again, pm/comment to me if you has questions. ROSEY OUT~

Chapter 2

The carrot top was sitting at the table that Kuronue was leading Hika to. He was guarding two lunch boxes that were opened to reveal more food than the demoness thought the humans could eat in one sitting. She openly stared at the food in astonishment, stopping two feet away from the table. Were the two humans really going to eat all of the food on the table? Yes, Hika had seen demons that were not under Yoko's thumb eat a whole human in three bikes, Hika had never seen a human eat so much food.

"Hika, this is my best friend Char." Kuronue said, taking the seat on his friends left. That left the seat across from Char and on Kuronue's left open for the demon girl to take. The remaining seat was taken up by a pair of bags that seemed to belong to the two boys.

"Char, this is a friend of Kurama's. You know, the red head from this morning? Kurama has asked me to make sure that she fits in since she's the new bug of the school." Kuronue continued before taking the lid of his own lunch box and started to move different foods from the box to the lid.

Char had been in the middle of a bite of food when Kuronue had stopped talking. He turned his eyes up to watch as the demon girl sat down and took the lid slowly. Hika paused as she felt his eyes upon her and looked up to meet his sky blue eye with her icy grey ones. They sat there in silence trying to stare one another down. Finally Char returned to his meal just long enough to finish his bite. When he spoke, Hika was astonished that he spoke with a British accent which sounded strange with the Japanese words that came from his mouth.

"Char is only a nickname that Kuronue gave me when we became friends. My real name is Charlie. It's a pleasure to meet such a beauty as yourself Miss Hika. IF you need any help around the school, do not hesitate to ask. I do hope that we can be friends." Charlie said, as a bright smile lit his face for a moment. Then he went back to eating his food as if he hadn't just complimented the young woman.

Hika was in a state of pleased shock however. No one had ever called her a beauty before. Any demons that did talk about her looks always compared her to her grandmother or spoke about her mother's beauty. She'd never been considered a beauty herself. She blushed with pride that thought that maybe, just maybe, this time here would not become such a terrible thing after all; especially if men kept calling her beautiful or pretty. She had a hidden part of her that really liked being praised—after almost 200 years of only being compared to her grandmother, who could truly blame Hika?

"I hope that we can be friends as well Charlie." Hika replied before starting her own food with an extra pair of chopsticks that Kuronue supplied her. She purposefully used his full name so that she didn't feel like she was friends with Kuronue. After all she was still being stared at by the other human's. Unbeknownst to her, they were already talking about her—her eyes, her ability to hang out with Kuronue who was one of the not-popular-but-not-unpopular people of the school within the time it took most people to gather their lunches from their lockers. She sat and ate as politely as she could while sharing in small talk with Charlie and Kuronue.

About half-way through the lunch period, Charlie rose and smiled at the two. "Dear Miss Hika, I hope you will forgive me, I need to go meet a teacher. I'll see you tomorrow at lunch possibly? If not, perhaps we can hang out some time. I would like to hear more of your family's home. It's one of the local spooky spots of the town." He said with a friendly enough smile before turning and walking off towards the school. He did not leave time for Hika to agree or disagree. It was as if he was in a rush to get everything out at once for he feared to lose the moment.

Hika tilted her head to the side. She'd been in the middle of nibbling delicately on a rice ball—not sure if she liked it or not. She sat with it still against her lips as she watched him walk away thoughtfully. Kuronue had a small smile on his lips, which he wiped away when she turned to look at him. She lowered the rice ball down to the lid of the lunch box he had given her with food on it and wiped her lips.

"Charlie isn't a normal human is he?" Hika's words were soft so that only Kuronue could hear. "He's different than most humans here. That tattoo on his neck, it's a spelled one. And yet he smells like a human, and I bet if I tasted his blood, it'd taste human as well. What is he?" Her curiosity was killing her.

"There goes my allowance for the next week," Kuronue said with a chuckle, shaking his head. To her confused look he explained after he'd taken a drink from a soda he had brought with him. "I swore to Kurama that you wouldn't notice anything different about Char for at least a week. He told me that you'd notice sooner than that. I bet him twenty bucks that it would take you at least a week."

Hika stared at Kuronue with surprise. She felt insulted that he thought her to be slow or an idiot when it came to seeing things, but at the same time she felt confidence swell in her that Kurama thought that she was smart. "Well, obviously I noticed, so what's up with him?" she prodded.

Kuronue packed up as much of his lunch as he could before motioning her to finish up. Hika's frowned and ate her food quickly. He took the lid and then motioned to her to follow. Loud enough for others to hear but not loud enough to be called a yell, he spoke:

"Sure Hika-san, I'd love to take you on a grand tour. I can probably get you about halfway around campus during the rest of lunch, but maybe we could meet up after school and finish it up?"

Hika could tell an act when she saw it. She smiled and acted as human as she thought she could without vomiting at the disgust that rolled over her and followed Kuronue with a slight bounce in her walk that she'd seen a few human girls use earlier in the day. Once they were out of sight of the humans, Kuronue dropped the smiling prince act and Hika returned to frowning and following him with a more secure way of walking. She would be able to spin off into a kick at a moment's notice with this walk. With the other she was afraid she'd fall into the sky.

"So—" Hika started before Kuronue stopped her by raising a hand.

"Char isn't like other humans. The tattoo around his neck keeps his powers at bay. There is a reason that I call him Char instead of Charlie. If that tattoo was ever to break, his true nature would emerge. He is a fire spirit. And I don't mean those little fire-head midget demons that call themselves fire spirits from demon world. I mean a true to life Fire Spirit, one that born from the embers of a fire that was blessed by three different demon priests. He was created to serve their control seventeen and a half years ago. Lord Koenma saved him and placed him here with that tattoo around his neck in order to keep him safe." Kuronue paused and looked up at the sky.

"So, his body is a human, but his soul is that of a Fire Spirit?" Hika asked in amazement. She looked up at the sky and thought about it.

She had been taught about Spirits. There were several kinds it was said: the spirits that inhabited humans, the spirits that inhabited demons, the spirits of spirit world, and the Great Spirits that were the elements incarnate. For the elemental spirits they could be summoned from the middle of their element. They were given consciousness and usually tamed to follow others orders that were of the same element. They took a form that was symbolic—a dragon, a phoenix, a mermaid—and used that to do their orders.

In some cases, the spirit could take the body of a human that had recently been killed or had died, and reanimate it. But in order not to destroy the body, they had to be sealed inside with a special tattoo that would keep their powers locked away. Human bodies it was said were incapable to hand the powers of an elemental being.

"Yes. That is why I'm his friend and why you won't find many things surprise him. He is far wiser than most, though he tries to hide it. He likes to be around other humans, especially since the tattoo keeps him from hurting them." Kuronue finished with a small smile as he leaned against a nearby tree.

Hika was in a state of stunned silence. The creature that was Charlie was a being that was far superior to any of those on the planet. Essentially if he wanted he could be considered a god by those around him. Yet he chose so willingly to be a human that it was almost beautiful in its own way. She leaned against the wall that was across from Kuronue and turned her gaze to him instead.

"You should count your blessings that you will have the two of us protecting you while we are here." Kuronue finally said to break the silence that had grown between them. If Haki had had feathers on her wings, they would have fluffed at the insinuation that she couldn't protect herself.

"Excuse me, but I don't need your help." Haki growled, pushing herself from leaning against the wall to glare up at the man. "I have been alive longer than you. I've had to deal with de-things that you never even have dreamed about!"

Before either of them could say more on the subject, a group of girls turned the corner and stopped to look at them. Whispers started up as Haki turned to look at them for a moment. She heard catches of 'catching Kuronue's heart already' and 'what a fast girl'. Her shoulders stiffened and she turned her back to them. Kuronue had straightened and was looking between the group of girls to the girl he had been talking to.

"Just because Kurama asked you to help me, does not mean I need help." Haki told the young man and stalked off. None of the humans could see that her cheeks were a bright red. It had been too much like back at home in demon world. She was a half-demon. She must be trying to either sell herself or figure out a way to become a full demon. No, there was no way that Hika had just been talking to a human out of interest.

Hika heard the footsteps of someone behind her and quickened her pace. When she didn't hear the footsteps fade, but increase their pace, she sprinted away. She didn't wait for them to start running after them. Hika was glad that she had chosen to wear shorts under her school skirt, even if they were against the dress code. She sprinted and dodged through groups of people, losing the footsteps. When she was sure she wasn't being followed, Hika slowed and looked around.

"Just… great." She mumbled as she noted that she was lost in the large school. Her blue eyes closed for a moment to collect herself. "Humans are just like Demons. People say that they are different. They aren't. They are all hate filled bastards that reject anything that isn't their own kind."

The words slipped from her lips like water from a faucet that had just been turned off—fast and then slowing off. The anger that had filled them wavered and soon she found herself sitting against the wall behind her and pulling her knees to her chest. She had boasted of being old, but in truth, she was the human's age compared to other demons. She was no more than a teenager looking for recognition for her abilities. She didn't want to be compared to weaklings or her grandmother. She wanted to make her own mark on the world.

"One such as you should not weep for not understanding her surroundings," said a slippery voice. It sounded like rain falling onto a tiled roof. She looked up and blinked a few times. Tears had indeed been nearing the edges of her eyes and threatening to fall. Standing near the fence that was the edge of the schools grounds stood a man of twenty-five. He didn't wear a school uniform either so that made her rise slowly, careful not to show any fear.

"What do you mean one such as me?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. Hika didn't trust this man. Why would he say 'for not understanding her surroundings'? Did he know that she was new, or was it that he knew she wasn't even from this Earth?

"A young woman as lovely as you." The man said again with the same slick voice. A shudder ran up the demon girls back. "You know, I've heard rumors that you look like your human grandmother. Now don't get angry over that silly girl. I don't think you resemble her at all. I knew her far deeper than even her fool of a mate Kuronue did." His white-blonde hair lay against tanned skin that hosted a pair of bright sea-green eyes.

Bristling, Hika shifted her weight so that she would be able to take a hit if necessary. "How dare you insult lord Kuornue. He was –"

"Unable to even protect the woman he later made his mate despite her being human." The man finished her sentence cruelly with a thin smile. "You should ask your mother, or maybe Night, just what your soul has done in its past life. Did you know that your soul was a child killer?"

Hika frowned and took a step forward. They were closed off from most people with trees hiding her hiding place on both sides and then the fence about twenty feet from the wall that she had been sitting against. At least she would be able to use what little power she had to beat the crap out of this strange fellow.

"You are only a little like your grandmother. You look nothing like her. But your mind. Oh your mind tastes as fresh as the first time I touched Hiromi's all those centuries ago. Until later, my little white rose. Take care of what you need to take care of girl, because by the end of the year, you will have no body to call your own," the man warned as he sidestepped the throwing knife that Hika had thrown the moment he had started to threaten her. He laughed as he jumped backwards over the fence and disappeared from view. It was a chilling laugh that dragged daggers up Hika's spine.

Hika ran cold hands over her arms and stared at where the man had been. She blinked a few times as she tried to sense the man. There had been little demonic energy left over by his presence, which made little sense to Hika. Hika considered telling her mother about the man and his threat.

No! She would take care of this herself. If she really was the reincarnated soul of her grandmother, then she would have to take care of the insult to her pride as a Bat Demon herself. The demon part of her demanded that she protect her own spirit.

She turned and blinked as she noticed Charlie standing at the corner watching her with eyes that spoke of knowing beyond his years.

"That was one nasty possession." He said, coming to her side and looking at the fence where the man had disappeared.

"You mean he was being possessed?" Hika asked, staring at Charlie for a moment, remembering the things that she had been told by Kuronue. Charlie nodded and remained silent for a moment.

"He said something about your past life, right?" Charlie asked with a deep frown.

"Yes, everyone things I'm the reincarnated for of my grandmother—a human by the name of Hiromi. She was a spy for Lord Koenma that was captured by Lord Kuronue." Hika explained, joining Charlie in frowning at the fence.

"Hika, I will share a tiny bit of what I know about reincarnated beings. There are only two ways that it can occur, since most beings are sent on up to Spirit World and then onto whatever heaven or hell that is proscribed by their lives. The first way is if, in the case of Kurama and Kuronue, their demonic spirits escape over the barrier and take the form of a human. This can sometimes take years to accomplish. Depending on the amount of time that it takes they may have all their memories, as Kurama does, or little to know memory of their times before.

"The second way is the hardest way since it requires that someone in Spirit World—normally King Yama, or his son Lord Koenma—to sign off on it. The soul is kept in a capsule of sorts. It is then given to the mother to drink as a potion just before the child is to be born, within two or three hours. The potion travels straight through the mother and goes into the child, though the mother will never be able to bear a child again." Charlie explained, thinking about it while he continued to stare at the fence like it was some kind of marvelous piece of artwork.

Hika was staring no longer at the fence but at the ground. She had never wondered by her mother who was so young, had never had more children. Hika could have had up to ten brothers or sisters had her mother not willing taken that potion.

"The soul of the child is thus replaced by the soul of the person to be reincarnated. The person that is reincarnated will have no memories of their former self. They can, if they work at it, gain those memories, but that takes a lot of work." Charlie said, breaking the stare at the fence to look over at Hika again. Slowly a smile came to his face and he put a friendly hand on her shoulder.

"I believe that Lord Koenma felt sorry for your grandmother, that or she was very useful to him during her time, and thus he felt obliged to give her a second chance at… at everything. Now. Smile, you do not look as pretty when you frown. I will see you soon, hopefully." Charlie left the girl to ponder the developments that had taken place.

Hika was even more determined to take care of that man—whoever he really was—on her own now. She had been angry that he had insulted her grandmother and Kuronue. Now she was angry that he had essentially insulted her. "Whoever you are, I will find you and make you pay for whatever you did to my grandmother and for the insults to me." She said softly and was surprised when a voice in her head answered.

_We shall see little rose. We shall see._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hika was chilled to the bone. She sat in the sun in her classroom for the windows faced west. She wasn't cold temperature wise. She just didn't feel warm either. Her heart ached with the knowledge that there was a demon threat in the town—not just a demon threat to humans, but a threat to her. She had remembered after those words had touched her subconscious that she'd refused to learn the skills necessary to shield her mind from any intrusion.

If he could talk to her through her mind, what was going to keep him from completely control her? She would have to learn, but not from her mother. Who else could she ask that would not in some way tell her mother and crush Hika's opportunity to show that she could do things to?

The only one she could think of was the two young men that she had met today—Kuronue and Charlie. She had already made Charlie promise not to tell anyone else about the reincarnation information or about the man from earlier. But could she trust Kuronue not to tell their mutual friend Kurama?

When the last bell of the day rang out over the school, she rose from her seat and quietly went to her locker. She was just pulling her bag out when the locker next to hers opened. When Hika turned to look at the person next to her she was surprised to find that it was Kuronue.

_Well if fate isn't screaming in my face_ she thought, taking a better look at Kuronue for the first time that day.

He looked relaxed and happy as he grabbed things from his locker. He was ready to get out of this place, she realized. Ducking her head so as not to get his attention, she looked through her hair as she finished taking the stuff from her locker out. He slammed the door to his locker shut and turned to leave. His eyes brightened and he practically ran to stand next to Charlie and a girl that was also wearing the outfit of the school. Without further ado, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. His eyes, those black-purple orbs, were dancing with magic that could only be described from Hika's point of view as being somewhere between love and friendship, as if he couldn't figure out if he loved the girl or just liked her as a friend.

Hika froze; her hand on a notebook. The cold feeling that had emanated from her soul since she'd met the man at lunch sprang up even higher until her entire body felt like a piece of ice. As soon as she realized that she rolled her eyes and returned to her notebook as she packed it away and closed the door to her own locker much quieter than Kuronue had his own. Slowly she moved away from the lockers and was passing the group, her head lowered, when Charlie's hand snuck out and grabbed her hand. She stopped in place and looked up at Charlie, and then at Kuronue and the girl that stood behind him.

"Hika, are you going home already?" Charlie asked, his British accent becoming all the more pleasing as she heard it.

"I was planning on it. I…" she paused for a moment and looked away before speaking softly so that only Charlie could hear. Surely he could understand being a Elemental spirit and all. "I didn't know that people normally hang out after school. And I have some bindings I really wish I could take off." Maybe those words would get him to release her and allow her to continue on her merry-loner way.

"Why don't you hang out with us for a time? There is only so much I can stand being the third-wheel in this group. With you there, I could have someone to talk to while Kuronue snogs with Inane," Charlie told his new friend and fellow 'third wheel'.

"Yes, why don't you join us?" Inane, the girl that had been kissed by Kuronue asked, holding out a hand to greet the new girl. "I'm Inane Nore, and you must be Hika Shiroibara, right?"

Hika looked at the extended hand to her, then at Charlie and last at Kuronue. She didn't really have that much of a choice did she? Wriggling her hand free from Charlie's grasp she reached out, smiled and shook the hand offered to her.

"Thank you for inviting me then. Yes, you can call me Hika. It's a pleasure to meet you Inane," Hika said with as must happiness as she could muster at the time. Having mentioned her bindings earlier had only made her realize just how sore they were from being pinned down all day. They itched to get out, demanding her attention now. She pushed the craving to ride through the air at night under a moon and focused in on what the other three were saying.

Eventually they lead her to a small restaurant. She stopped outside and looked up at the sign and felt her heart drop and soar at the same time. She had no money! She could excuse herself and head home without seeming to be rude. The other three were at the door, looking at her strange when she finally smiled sheepishly and tried her plan.

"Listen, I don't have any money on me. I'm just going to go home," She said, looking sheepishly at the ground and starting to turn around to leave.

"Wait, if it's money you need, then just pay me back when you get it," Charlie called, giving her his heart stopping smile. "I'll buy you something. As a welcome gift to our town and school. Come on Hika, don't leave. I really do want someone to talk to. And you seemed so knowledgeable. Maybe you could tell us about your family or that house you live in now."

Hika blinked and turned to look at Charlie. Plan A failed, but maybe it wouldn't be such bad thing to stay with them for a little bit. "Are you … sure Charlie?" She asked, uncertain. She'd already shared a lunch with Kuronue. She would have to pay them both back for that food.

"If he doesn't have enough I'll chip in," Inane said, being so friendly that Hika was at a loss for words. A feeling swarmed over Hika and it took her a moment, standing there in the sunlight, watching the three watch her, to realize just what it was: acceptance and friendship, a feeling of belonging.

"I'll make each of you an amazing lunch tomorrow. That's the least I could do to repay you for the food." Hika said, smiling as she joined them at the door.

"I'll accept that." Charlie said as he motioned to the waiter that there were four people.

"So will I! I haven't had a home cooked meal in ages. My parents want me to buy my lunch all the time." Inane told them with a laugh as she slipped in under Kuronue's arm to lean against him.

On their way to the restaurant, Hika had made sure not to look at Kuronue and Inane when they were being like this for it made her feel as if there was an ice demon nearby ready to freeze her body. If this was a side effect of being a reincarnation she didn't want it. She would much rather be allowed to go without this feeling of loss when she hardly even knew the human. Which was another point-he was human. There was a high spiritual power around him that almost tasted to her as demonic but not quite. But he wasn't a full demon.

This time however the entrance way to the restaurant was closed in by the back of booths on either side leaving only a four foot space between. Just big enough to allow the front door to slide inwards to allow customers. She was stuck standing next to Charlie, and her eyes were able to see completely the look of contentedness on both girl and boys face.

"You only owe me half a lunch Hika." Kuronue told her before leaning down to kiss the young woman under his arm on the mouth sweetly.

Her heart lurched for a moment before she beat the emotions back. _I Don't even know HIM_ she yelled at herself, before turning to look at Charlie and the restaurant before them. Just then the waiter returned and motioned for them to follow him back to a booth he had set up for them.

"A new face. Welcome. The usual for the rest of you?" the waiter was saying as Hika scooted into the booth on one side, allowing herself to be blocked in by Charlie who sat next to her. She put her bag up against the wall to her left as she put a polite smile on and slowly opened the menu to scan the items slowly.

"Same for us." Kuronue said, indicating Inane and himself.

"I think I'll have my usual, and Hika, what do you want?" Charlie asked, turning his attention from the waiter to Hika, giving off the appearance of giving all his attention to her. Hiak looked at him and then at the menu and made a snap decision the moment she saw the 'Okonomiyaki' section of the menu.

"I'll just take a cheese and shrimp okonomiyaki please," Hika told the waiter that smiled at her brightly. Then she looked at Charlie a little worried. What if it was too much? She hadn't had okonomiyaki in a long time. "If that's all right with you Charlie. I don't want to get anything too expensive." Charlie only smiled and nodded.

"That is one of our best okonomiyaki's. I'm glad you chose it. All your orders will be here shortly. I think the cook started cooking them the moment he knew you all were outside the door." The waiter said before leaving the table to report the order.

"So you come here often?" Hika asked with a giggle before looking down at her lap. The two across the table had started up with their cuddling again and she really didn't want to lose her appetite.

"Almost every other day during classes," Charlie answered her, turning his own attention onto her rather than the couple across from them. "Now, Miss Hika, tell me, why was your house abandoned until you moved in there? You caught my attention during class with your introduction."

Hika blinked and looked at Charlie carefully. "You… are in my class?" she asked, blushing at her ignorance. She supposed she _had_ seen him among the people in her class, but she hadn't really put it together. Charlie laughed and nodded.

"Oh, well, it's kind of a long story, full of hauntings and the like." Hika said, turning to look at the table again. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that the two across the table had stopped to listen as well.

"We have time. There's food being cooked and I'm sure you can finish one story before it gets here," Inane told the young woman with a genuine smile.

"Oh, um, well, okay I guess," Hika said and quickly thought over the story she had been told. "It all started about two hundred and fifty years ago. There was a young woman that lived there who was named Hiromi. I'm a direct descendant from her my mother told me, though this story makes me wonder." Hika was trying to make it seem like just a story. After all, it included demons and a human knowing about demons wasn't good.

"Anyway, she was a troublemaker the story goes. She was always off on adventures. Some even said that she was secretly practicing to be one of the female ninja's," Hika said with a giggle. "One day she was arranged to marry a dimwitted samurai's son. She did not want to though. She wanted to have more adventures and marry someone that could keep up both physically and mentally with her, for she was very smart some say. Either way, she vanished from her dressing room. It wasn't like she was there one hour and then after a few hours they noticed her missing. She was sent to the room and then ten minutes later her own mother went in to bring her out to meet her soon-to-be husband and she had completely vanished."

"What happened to her?" Inane prodded, entranced with the story already.

"No one rightfully knows. All they know is that she returned almost a year later on her horse which had been stolen a few weeks before the previous New Years. Nine months later she gave birth to a young girl child. It was thought that she'd been kidnapped by some bandits that had seen her and then released when she was about to go through her pregnancy for this was the story that Hiromi had spun when her mother had demanded to know what had happened to her daughter. But seeing the girl child as it lay between Hiromi's legs it was obvious what had truly happened. The baby had a set of bat wings on her back." There was a little gasp from Inane. Kuronue raised an eyebrow and watched Hika with more interest now. Charlie was grinning at the tale, finding it a very interesting rendition of the facts for a human's ears.

"Well, Hiromi's mother wanted to throw the child out and drown it in the nearest stream so that their house would not be cursed with a half-demon child. Hiromi refused adamantly, claiming the child was that of her dead demon lover and her only remembrance of the demon that had truly kidnapped her that day long before. Hiromi's mother was about to slap Hiromi when the doors leading into the birthing room were flung open and a group of all female warriors and a fox walked into the room and stood behind Hiromi. A large black spider about the size of a platter came and sat on one side of the girl and the fox onto the other side.

"One of the women warriors sheathed her sword and proceeded to finish the preparations to cut the child from her mother, who was given the healthy looking child. She knew these demons it was said. The fox proceeded to speak to the mother of Hiromi and the midwives.

'Either you will accept the child into the household, or we will take lady Hiromi of the Bats with us and you will never see your daughter or your granddaughter again. She will live with us where she will be treated like a queen—not some woman that was taken advantage of by one of us.' The fox said to the humans.

"The mother of Hiromi was furious at her daughter for having fallen into the clutches of a demon and yelled at them to take the demon loving whore. And in a blink of an eye, Hiromi, her daughter, and the demons were gone. My family is said to have been so frightened that the demons would return to slaughter their family that they left that same day and refused to return to the house for fear the half-demon child would remember that they had threatened to kill it and would return to kill them. And that is the very superstitious, very silly reason my family hasn't returned to the house for these last two hundred years." Hika said with a pretend bow before cracking a grin. It was all the truth after all. But Inane sitting with them didn't know that.

"That poor woman! Finding her love with a demon that was killed before he could see his child!" Inane gushed, romanticism in her blood taking over.

Hika blinked and tilted her head. "You don't actually believe the story do you?"

"Of course not, but it's still a romantic story! Imagine falling for a guy that kidnapped you and then having to go through the pregnancy knowing that the child would be all you had left of that man? It must have been heartbreaking for this Hiromi." Inane said, adamant about the romantic aspects of the story. She took that opportunity to snuggle a little closer to Kuronue as she spoke. "And I wonder what happened to the little child. That would be an interesting story to learn."

Before Hika could reply, Charlie broke in, "So why did your mother and father decide to come back after all this time?"

Hika blinked. Her father? She was taken by surprise. She supposed that that was a normal question right enough, but in truth she'd only met her father three times through her whole demonic life—when she'd turned one hundred, when she'd beaten Lord Yoko in a fight for the first time, and when Lord Yoko had died. He had been a bat demon that had grown up with Hika's mother. And that was all she truly knew about the man. She looked at her lap for a moment and tried to decide on an answer.

"Well, my mother came here because she liked the house and the fact it was in a small town. She isn't too well liked in our family and so they were glad to give her the haunted or cursed house." Hika finally said, smiling up at them, hoping they wouldn't push the thing about her father.

Mercifully, they didn't and turned to other questions about her past, such as where she grew up and what was her favorite thing to do. Well, Charlie turned to these questions. Kuronue listened while he played with Inane. However the questions stopped once their meal was provided. They were getting up to leave when a buzzing noise came from her bag. She blinked and looked in her school bag to find a compact-like device that was glowing and buzzing. She closed her eyes and tried to push the embarrassment of having such an old fashion communication device. No doubt this was one that had been used by Botan and the Spirit Detective Yusuke at one point in time. Why was Spirit World almost ten years behind in technology?

She reached into the bag and fiddled around with it without taking it out. Eventually she opened and snapped shut the device which made the buzzing and the light wink out. Rolling her eyes, Hika looked forward at the three that watched her and forced a sarcastic smile.

"Mom probably just wanted to know where I was. She can get that way, especially since we just moved here and all," She explained and the ball was moved away from her embarrassing discovery. Once she was allowed out of the booth, Charlie had insisted on them walking her back to her home, since the sun was starting to sink.

"And I want to see this old house of yours. It was the local spook house for so long it's hard to imagine anyone actually living there," Charlie explained before looking at Kuronue and Inane.

"I wouldn't mind seeing it up close. I was always afraid to go near it. I mean, there are old stories about it being haunted by the ghost of a murdered samurai, or a ghost of a drowned woman. I could never get up the nerve to go even within a foot of the place," Inane said as she leaned against Kuronue. "What do you think Kuronue? Should we go see the old house?"

"I'm in if you are," Kuronue answered before wrapping his arm around her and leading the way out of the restaurant. Hika let them go out of the restaurant first, giving a reluctant sigh.

"Do not worry Hika. Their cuteness rubs off and you learn to ignore it." Charlie told her before motioning for her to go first. The young demon girl wasn't sure if she wanted to know that or not.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

She was stuck with them until she could get home it seemed. Hika was being walked home by Charlie, which she supposed she might have found a tad bit romantic if it wasn't for Kuronue and Inane behind them making sounds of lovebirds. She wasn't sure why this feeling of distaste rose in her with every sound, but it did and she had no choice but to fight it back by focusing on the words that Charlie produced. She had no interest in a demon soul trapped in a human body. Charlie was much more interesting though they couldn't talk about his elemental powers while with Inane.

On their walk to her home, her mother, or whoever it was tried calling the compact device three more times. Each time, Hika paused on the sidewalk to rummage and turn off the device before joining Charlie again in their discussion. Slowly they wound their away around the town until they stopped in front of her new home. She stopped outside the doorway in the gate that would allow her to enter the old estate.

"Thank you for walking me home. It was really—" Hika started to say, her back to the doorway. She was cut off when the doorway flew open and a hand laid on her shoulder with a grip like iron. It happened before she knew what happened. Inane screamed and shrank against Kuronue. Charlie had stepped forward to push the hand away with a scowl on his face. But Hika couldn't help herself. It had been grilled into her through lessons with Yoko the Bandit Fox. The demon girl dropped her bag, grabbed the wrist and twisted, flipping the person over her hip and onto the ground.

Takji came out to see what was going on a second later, a knife in hand, ready to take care of whatever trouble there was, having come running at the sound of Inane's scream. Night showed up a second later and then last but not least, with a statelier demeanor, Hika's mother. The one on the ground groaned as he twisted, kicked the girls feet out from under her and went after her with deadly swiftness. He pushed her up against the wall and held her there. Breathing through his nose to keep calm, the man that hovered over the young woman looked down at her with pride.

"You have indeed improved, Hika." He said, before backing away from her to go to Tylia's side. "You have taught our daughter well."

Hika's body shook with anger. Not only had she let the demon sneak up on her, but he'd also bested her in front of her friends, two of which most definitely knew he was a demon. Her cheeks flushed a light crimson as Inane came over fussing over her outfit which had been scuffed and torn a little on the skirt.

"Hika who are—bright Lord Kimanu of the Changing People, it's Kuronue." Night breathed, having lost all interest in finding out the others identities when she had laid her eyes on the young man. Her eyes had gone wider than Hike had ever seen them go in all her years. Takji started to laugh and point out that there was no way that the kid could be Kuronue when she gave Kuronue a harder look and fell silent as well.

Kuronue stood with the setting sun playing over half his face, leaving the other half in shadows as he watched the two young women that stared at him as if they had seen a ghost. "My name is Kuronue, though I highly doubt I'm the Kuronue that you are referring to." He said, distant. Charlie looked between them all and noticed that people from the neighboring houses were coming out to see what the fuss was about.

"Why don't we all retire inside the wall? People are staring and if you all just arrived, it would be better not to bring up old fears among the people that live here," he suggested and ushered the family and the friends inside. Night and Takji joined Tylia and Hika's father on one side of the walkway that led to the house proper while the three friends stood on the opposite side with Hika in the middle.

"Hika, mind explaining who these people are and why you were not answering my calls?" the man who was her father asked, authority in his voice. It grated on the teenager's nerves. He was here under a day and he was ordering _her_ around?

"Mind explaining why you haven't been home since our mutual friend died?" Hika spat back, making sure to curb her words so that none would know they spoke of Yoko unless they already knew.

"Hika!" Tylia said in anger. "Don't talk to your father like that. But do please introduce us."

Hika snorted and crossed her arms over her chest, not looking at her old man. "Mother, these are friends of Kurama, Charlie and Kuronue. And this is Kuronue's girlfriend Inane. They invited me to hang out with them after school, and since you said to try and blend in on my first day I thought that you wouldn't mind. They took me to dinner and we lost track of time and were having fun," Hika explained. "As for why I ignored my phone, I… didn't recognize the phone number. You should have warned me that… He would be showing up, or that he even had my number."

"Please, if we got Hika in trouble, it is us that you should be angry with," Charlie said, stepping forward with his warmest smile. "I insisted that we take Hika to dinner to celebrate her moving to town and to welcome her to our school."

"How much do I owe you for taking my daughter to eat?" the man asked.

"_You_ don't owe them anything. I promised that in exchange for them buying me dinner, I'd make them lunch tomorrow. Now that you met them I'm sure you'd agree it was time for them to go." Hika snarled softly at him before turning to her friends with a small, apologetic smile. "Please, I have some family matters to take care of. I'll see you three at school tomorrow? I'll make sure to bring the lunches to you."

Without a word she ushered them towards the front door, her shoulders stiff. As she was about to close the door, Kuronue's hand stopped it. She looked up from the ground to see both him and Charlie look at her. Kuronue's eyes were filled with concern while Charlie's were full of full-fledge worry.

"Will you be all right here?" Charlie asked.

"I'll be fine. It really will be nothing soon. Water under the bridge as humans say," Hika told them.

"If you need any help, do you have a phone you can call with?" Kuronue asked. "And not just one of Koenma's compact device thingie. Kurama showed me them once. They aren't worth the material that's used to make them."

"I'll have Night and Takji here to back me up if things go south. You two really should go, Inane is waiting and I have a score to settle with my father," Hika told them before pushing the door the rest of the way closed. Kuronue had two options—let his hand be crushed between the door jam and the door, or release it and let her seal herself inside the house. He chose the latter. With the door shut, Hika turned to look at the adults watching her. Frowning she started to take her shirt off right there in front of them. Her father started to protest but the glare that was sent his way by Hika silenced him temporarily.

"I have had my wings bound against my back for almost 15 hours. I can't shield my wings from view like the two of you can. Not yet at least. And if you try and tell me that I can't undress and take my poor tender wings out then I will find some very sharp objects to throw at you while you sleep." Hika snarled at him in one of the most vicious tones she knew—she'd picked it up from Yoko one day. She finished pulling off her shirt and bindings and stood there in white undershirt, flexing the wings slowly so that they wouldn't go stiff on her or lock up.

"Dear, did I hear you right?" Tylia asked. "Did you say that human was Kuronue's girlfriend?"

"Yeah. Inane's really nice. They fit together." Hika said absently as she massaged her back and flapped her wings a few times. She missed the look of panic that the three women shared at that information. "Anyway, what does it matter? I'm only hanging out with them because you told me to blend in and a girl can't blend in without making friends. Kurama just made sure I was friends with Kuronue and his pal Charlie."

"I don't like that Charlie. He had a binding tattoo on his neck, and he felt weird." Her father told her.

"I don't really care what you think of Charlie. He helped me today and understands a lot more of what I'm going through than you would _Dad_." Hika snapped. She picked up her things and stomped off to her own room.

Dropping onto her bed, she closed her eyes and laid back. First day of high school—done. First fight with her father of the year? Not even close to being done. As she thought she heard words coming from down the hallway. She sat and waited for the words to enter her room. Only they didn't. Curiosity got the better of her. Whenever she'd been in trouble for yelling at an adult before, she'd follow her mother or whoever was in charge at the moment and listen for her punishment. She repeated this skill now by sliding silently to her doorway and opening it a crack to look down the hallway and allow her ears to pick up more sound.

"…What are we going to do Tylia? Lord Koenma reincarnated your mother so that she could find true happiness with the man that she loved! What if that Inane person gets in the way? Your mother will be unhappy with her draw of luck this time around too, and you heard Lord Koenma. She only has this chance. She can't come back to the living world next time she dies." Takji was saying in a hurried whisper. She, Night, and Tylia stood in the corridor.

"We will just have to wait and see. Hika has this year and next year before she's out of high school. Then she'll be a free adult to this human world. If they can't figure it out by then maybe someone else will make my mother's soul happy." Tylia answered and frowned. "Though, my mother did love Kuronue."

Hika withdrew from the door and stared at the wall in front of her. They were talking about setting her up with Kuronue. A cold wave ran over her body. She had come to like Inane as a person. She didn't want to hurt the young woman. No. No matter what Their plans were for her, she wouldn't follow them just because they thought that they knew best. It was her heart they were playing with the pretense of making her 'soul' happy. Hika would do all that she could to stay out of their little game. She'd fall in love with whomever she chose, not who they chose. IT was as if they were setting her up for an arranged marriage.

With those thoughts on her mind she changed into lighter outfit and exited the room, intent on training until the moon was at its highest point before she went for a fly. She never made it to the practice courtyard though. As she passed what was to be the living room, her father called her in. Sighing regretfully, for she didn't think she'd get that workout or that relaxing flight after this, she entered and waited for him to begin. When he didn't, she turned icy blue eyes on him. He was watching her with dark black eyes, a frown on his middle-age face. A thin and sharp nose pointed out at her while his hair was pulled back into a pig tail at the base of his neck. His hair was black with a few grey strands going through it.

"What do you want?" she asked finally to break the silence. "An apology for not wanting my friends to be interrogated by a man I hardly even know?" That seemed to hit the right spot. He winced away and motioned for her to sit.

"No. That isn't what I want. What I want is for you to accept that I'll be living here with you and your mother. Now that you'll be busy with the school and those… friends of yours, I wanted to spend some time with your mother." He said, watching her carefully.

"So? My mother is free to do what she wants. It's not like I can force her to do anything different." Hika told the man without much interest though the idea of him being there all the time gave her the chills.

"All right, if you say so. Well, I don't think I qualify as your father though. A father would have been there to train you himself. So, don't worry about our relationship. If you want you can just call me Noki." He told the young woman before him.

"Fine Noki. May I go train now or do we want to do more father-daughter bonding?" she asked, though her tone was less hostile and more of uninterest. She rose when he motioned that she could leave and practically ran from the room. She entered the court yard with a flap of her wings and began to train in air-combat. She kicked she punched and continued to do so for almost three hour before she flapped up high and floated there.

Her wings sang with happiness at being free to do what they were meant to do. Slowly, with the cover of night, she flew over the town, making sure to stay out of sight of the brighter down town area. She flew over the residential areas to look around until she found the energy signature of Charlie. Out of curiosity she flew towards it to a well-lit house with a large tree in the backyard. She landed on the tree slowly to look in the windows.

_I wonder what an elemental spirit does with his free time in this weird world?_ She asked herself, giving her purpose behind her tree peeping. She found herself however face to face with Charlie. Her tree branch rested right outside his window and she jerked, almost falling off the tree branch when she noticed his face peering out at her from an open window. He had been sitting on his bed next to the window doing homework from the looks of it.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure to of having such a beauty peeping into my room at almost ten at night?" Charlie asked as Hika grabbed the tree branch to keep from falling over. Her cheeks lit up at the compliment to her beauty. He would have to stop doing that if she were to hang out with him.

"I was curious. I mean you supposedly have all the information of your element, which means anything that fire is used for, you would know about. What happens when you already know about the homework but can't put that down?" Hika asked, improvising quickly, gaining a soft laugh from the young man who watched her.

"I tell them what I remember them saying and then relax and wait for a beautiful woman like you to come swooping down from above on bat wings to say hello at night." Charlie joked before moving from his place next to the window. "Come in, it must be horrible for you out there."

"Are you kidding Charlie? I haven't been out in the air to fly around all day. My wings are just now getting relaxed. If you want me to join you why not come out here onto the branch? Then we can look up at the sky and wait for that beautiful woman you are so keen on meeting together? With my night sight, I'll be able to see her from miles away." Hika said with a laugh. For the first time that day she felt like she might actually fit in with these people, if she had Charlie there to lead the way. He was in the same boat as she, wasn't he?

"Oh I doubt she will come when such a beauty as you is already here. Are you sure you aren't going to fly away the moment I come out there?" Charlie asked as he joined her slowly out on the branch.

"I don't think I could get away before you got out here." Hika said with a small smile before relaxing back and letting her shoulders be mounted by her wings, which wrapped harmlessly around her. "And you really must stop calling me a beauty Charlie. I may be a demon, but I am told I look like my human grandmother. Beauty does not go to a half demon like myself. It goes to my mother or her mother. Not me."

"I don't think so. You look very beautiful with the moonlight playing off your black hair and blue eyes." Charlie insisted, "And who said that half-demons can't be pretty?" Hika didn't reply though, she was looking up at the sky and thinking about what constituted as being beautiful.

"A lot of regular demons." Hika finally said to answer Charlie's question before smiling at him and looking away. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is I'm no longer in demon world, and I may have made three friends today."

"May?" Charlie inquired, raising his eyebrows comically.

"Yes, may Charlie. There is you, which I hope to have as a friend. Inane is nice and I would like to get to know her a bit more. And last of all Kuronue, but we don't really get along that entire well." Hika told him, holding up three fingers. "So three people I would like to be friends with, but I'm not sure how they feel about being friends with the new kid on the block so to say."

"Kuronue will defrost to you as you become friends with him," Charlie said, leaning forward and putting down her middle finger. His hand, despite the chill to the night air, was warm against hers. Their eyes locked as he continued to speak. "Inane, I'm sure will be more than pleased to be your friend here." He pushed down the ring finger leaving her pinky to be the last finger standing. "And, beautiful Hika, I would be your friend no matter what you did." Slowly he pushed the last finger down. Their eyes never left one another as he spoke and Charlie's hand lingered on her hand for a moment longer than normal. His hand slipped away quickly after that and he smiled as he looked away, all of a sudden the shy human boy with little confidence around women.

Hika looked down at her legs which dangled towards the ground. "I'm glad that I have a friend Charlie. I think I'm going to need at least one with that demon that visited earlier." She said, remembering the way that Charlie had told her about the reincarnation systems.

"Your mother won't help? Your mothers' friends won't help?" Charlie asked, confused.

"I don't… I don't want their help. I want to do this on my own. I'm only one hundred and eleven years old. To them, I'm a young child. I am a teenager compared to my mother who is almost one hundred years older. I want to prove to them that I can handle this myself. And, the demon, he insulted my soul which is my grandmother's soul. She was Hiromi of the story I spoke of at dinner. She never deserved to be insulted like that," Hika said, passion filling her as she spoke of her grandmother. Charlie watched her for a moment and then smiled.

"I do think I'll help you Hika. You tell me what I can do to help you." Charlie told her with a decisive nod that brought a giggle from Hika involuntarily.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5—Top Blown

Charlie was sitting on the tree next to her, a silence rising up between Hika and himself that they both found far too comfortable to make go away. He had found the young woman interesting from the moment they had met during lunch at school. That interested had only been fueled during the afternoon's relaxation at the diner. Charlie had thought that he would not get to spend enough time with this demon girl that had come to join their little school. Then she had appeared on the tree outside of his room with her bat wings unfurled and glinting in the moonlight that poured down on her. It was like seeing a dark angel come down to lead him off into the night where he would be consumed by her loveliness. Charlie turned from looking up at the sky to say something to the young woman sitting not an inch from him…

Hika was staring off at the sky, thinking of the demon that had threatened her earlier that day at the school. That only brought her to thinking about the help that Charlie had offered. He was so full of knowledge it astonished the young demon. It was like going to the Library that Lord Koenma held and taking a full day just to read whatever she wanted. She wasn't sure if she could ever thank him for the offer to help. She was about to turn and ask him what she could do to thank him…

They froze to stare into each other's eyes as they sat; their lips not two centimeters from each other. His sky blue eyes met her ice-grey eyes as they considered just what was going on. Hika's cheeks turned a like pink as she watched him carefully. Charlie was the first to look away, his own cheeks a light pink. Hika took a breath that she didn't know she'd been waiting for and turned away as well to look sheepishly at her knees.

Charlie wasn't given a chance to apologize for the close kissing encounter. Hika dropped from the tree branch and flew up into the tree a bit higher as someone knocked on Charlie's room door, calling to him that it was time he shut off his lights; even if he was a high school junior he still needed sleep. Hika hid up in the top branches of the tree as she watched him craw back into the room and close the window behind him. Slowly, as Charlie started to get undressed, Hika flapped her way into the air, letting her whim take her where it pleased.

As her body floated across the sky on the wings of a bat, Hika thought about the near kiss. Her stomach flipped flopped as she tried to figure out if it meant anything. Charlie was a nice guy, and she really wouldn't mind if it did mean something.

_"…What are we going to do Tylia? Lord Koenma reincarnated your mother so that she could find true happiness with the man that she loved! What if that Inane person gets in the way? Your mother will be unhappy with her draw of luck this time around too, and you heard Lord Koenma. She only has this chance. She can't come back to the living world next time she dies." Takji was saying in a hurried whisper. She, Night, and Tylia stood in the corridor._

_"We will just have to wait and see. Hika has this year and next year before she's out of high school. Then she'll be a free adult to this human world. If they can't figure it out by then maybe someone else will make my mother's soul happy." Tylia answered and frowned. "Though, my mother did love Kuronue."_

Her gut descended five air currents as she thought about what was implicated by those words that her mother and Takji had shared in the hallway outside her bedroom earlier that evening. Maybe she would date Charlie—if only to spit her parents that had tried to decide her life without her knowledge?

_No, _she thought to herself, spinning in the air and swooping down into a dark back yard before darting back up into the air a gain. _If I date anyone it'll be for reason of my own choosing, such as really liking that person._

Hika smiled at her thoughts and spun again in the air as she dive bombed near a dog setting it to barking so loud it woke the owners. She laughed and continued through the air, playing havoc on the different small pets that lived in the area. Her black hair spiraled around her as she slowly landed on another tree in another backyard. Most of this household was black except for the kitchen window.

Being the weird girl watching from the shadows of the tree, she watched as someone moved out into the backyard. She climbed a bit forward as quietly as she could on the tree branch she was sitting on.

The light from the kitchen illuminated the young man that was Kuronue. He stood out in the night and stared up at the moon as if looking at someone that he had lost. Frowning as he concentrated on the moon, Kuronue broke his stare to look at the tall oak in his backyard. If he focused just right he could feel _that girl's_ energy in the tree. What in the Makai and Spirit World was she doing up in one of his backyard trees? That was a question he was debating to ask when his company came out of the house to join him. He felt female arms wrap around his waist and he relaxed, knowing that the woman in the tree would leave soon enough if her looks at lunch had told him anything about her.

Kuronue turned indigo-blue eyes to his girlfriend Inane as he turned around and kissed her on the lips. "I thought you had fallen asleep on the couch after the movie," Kuronue whispered, unsure of how keen the bat-girls ears were. Bats were good with hearing since the animal had echo-location to determine its way about, but did that go for bat demons as well? He couldn't see the girl using her voice as a way to move about.

"I did, but when I felt you leave, I thought I'd follow you and see what you were up to," Inane told him with a grin. "So what are you up to Kuronue? Gazing up at the moon like a lost wolf?"

"Sort of," Kuronue admitted with a wry smile. "I didn't want to bother you with my howling at the moon." It was a joke; one that Hika found very dry for someone that was supposed to be the reincarnation of the man that had been said to have bedded thousands of women before meeting Hiromi.

Hiromi yawned and pushed herself out of the tree as a cloud fell over the moon for a moment. Using that darkness, she heard Inane let out a little scream of shock as the noise form the tree emitted from her brushing tree branches and leaves on her way up. She stuck around just long enough to hear Kuronue tell her that it had to have been a bat or an owl.

_So he did know I was there,_ Hika thought with a grin. _Maybe he hasn't lost all his bat senses after all. _Her night's jaunt over, she flew slowly back to her home. Slowly she spiraled down into the courtyard of her home and found that her flight had tired her more than she had thought. In the Makai, Hika would take flights like this each night before she went to bed and was never this tired.

_You never went to high school, had to deal with humans, and make sure everything you said had nothing to do with demons before_, her inner voice told her as she trudge through the house that was so silent that she heard one of the mice move about the walls. Yawning she opened her door and went about going to sleep. As she went to sleep she checked the clock next to her bed and yawned again. 10:38pm blinked back at her on the clock.

The next time her icy grey eyes opened they were peering at the clock that read 5:23 am. Groaning, the young bat demon pushed herself up from the bed and began to brush her hair as she thought about her day. Rubbing her eyes to get the sleep from her eyes, Hika moved down through the house to the kitchen where she stood for a moment. What was she going to do for the four lunches she had to create for herself and three friends?

Hika was found in the kitchen an hour later putting together the final touches on the four lunches. Takji and Night entered together, holding each other's hand before they saw that Hika stood there, watching them with a raised eyebrow. They gasped and fumbled to try and tell her what they were doing, before the noticed the grin that spread over Hika's lips.

Hika had suspected that the woman known as Takji had been interested in Night since she was fifty years old, though no one spoke of it in public or polite company. This show of affection that was not meant to be seen by anyone else just confirmed her suspicions. Turning away, she put the lids on the four lunches and tied them up so that when she walked to school if they fell they wouldn't bang open. When she turned back and saw that Takji and Night were still standing there, staring at her, she sighed.

"Listen, Takji, Night. You two don't have to act like I'm going to bite you in half for being in love with the one of your dreams. So to, would I expect if I ever came home with someone; be they male, female, or a talking giraffe." Hika told them with a smile at the two before leaving the kitchen to go get ready for school. She could never understand why demons and humans could not accept that the gender of a person did not mean that one could not love them.

Whistling as she awoke from her sleep, she skipped along to finish getting ready. Hika didn't even growl at the binders that she was being forced to wear as she had the morning before. Having snacked on the food she had made that morning, she had no need to stop and have breakfast with the four demons that were sitting in the dining room. Hika picked up the four lunches she had made at 7:24 and left the house, calling goodbye over her shoulder.

Not looking where she was going, Hika almost ran smack dab into the young man that was in her way. Clutching the four lunches to her chest so they wouldn't go flying, she took a few steps back to stare up at the young man. Her eyes focused on face of Kuronue, who looked far more unpleasant than he had the day before when they had first been introduced by Kurama.

"Oh, Kuronue, hi, do you think you would be able—" Hika started before his look darkened and she slipped into quietness. Her blue eyes searched for some reason behind his apparent displeasure with her. Hika had kept her promise. She had made him lunch for that day. She would repay in full what she'd eaten the day before.

"Don't ever come to my house at night again Hika. I do not know what you thought you were doing there last night, but do not ever do it again. I will not be as kind to you the next time you trespass in my back yard after ten o'clock," Kuronue told her before turning and leaving her with the four lunches and the rest of the way to school to walk alone.

Hika felt a little bit like she had been smacked. Her mouth hung open for a moment before she looked around to make sure no one had seen the telling off and closed it slowly. Swallowing back whatever hateful thing she was going to say, for that would not make her any friendlier with Kuronue or the people at the school, she squared her shoulders and started off again towards the school. Her morning that had started out so well had taken a wild rollercoaster ride and was quickly becoming a gut wrenching monster of a day.

As she entered the courtyard, she saw familiar faces standing over to one side: Kuronue, Inane, and Charlie. Clutching the lunches to her chest, Hika lowered her gaze and walked past them. When Charlie called her name, she refused to look and quickened her pace. She was thankful that not as many people stared at her as she entered and went to her locker this morning as compared to the morning before. Hika had seen the look of indifference on Kuronue's face when he'd seen her and for some reason that hurt more than if he had slapped her earlier that morning. What if he was so influential that he made Charlie and Inane mad at her too? There were demons like that in the Makai, and she'd dealt with them once. She did not like being turned away from her friends when she was just making them. So she wouldn't let them turn her away. She'd turn away herself, before she could get hurt.

Stuffing the lunches into her locker, she pulled out a notebook that she'd left in her locker overnight and her pencil box before closing it. Hika jerked when she found that Charlie was waiting on the side that the locker's door had blocked out, watching her with curiosity.

"Did I scare you off last night?" Charlie asked; worry making his accent a bit stronger than it had been the day before. Hika blinked and thought back to the night before and remembered the inches that had been consumed so quickly when they'd sat next to each other on the tree branch. She was about to say something to him when Kuronue walked up to his own locker and started to go through it looking for his own things.

Hika's shoulders stiffened as she turned to look at him out of the corner of her eye. She frowned for a moment and then decided that this meekness was not her style. Hika looked at Charlie first since he had been the first one to join the conversation and smiled.

"Charlie, please, I grew up in the Makai," Hika said soft enough that only he and Kuronue could hear. "I didn't want you getting caught sitting on a tree limb with a girl with bat wings is all."

"So the troublemaker stopped at your house too?" Kuronue asked, closing his locker to look at the two that spoke near him. His gaze only rested on Hika a few moments before going to his older friend.

"Listen, I don't get what your problem is with me Kuronue," Hika said, turning on him now with the ferocity of a mountain lion. "I was flying around randomly. As you've overheard, yes I did stop by Charlie's house. We spoke, and then he had to go to sleep. Your house was just on my little flight. You were awake and I was going to say hi but you already had company so I didn't bother. I didn't think you wanted Inane seeing wings so I left when there was the cover of darkness. Snapping at me like you did this morning was no way to treat someone that was just curious about a new town she was in!" She took a few breaths to calm down as she glared her icy gaze up at Kuronue before brushing past him so that she could go to her classroom.

Hika was about to go into class when running footsteps caught up with her. She felt her hand being grabbed. She spun, kicking out without realizing that she'd done it. She froze, her foot an inch away from nailing Charlie in the head. He was staring down at her with wide, unbelieving eyes, that slowly inched down to where the young woman's skirt was starting to slip back to reveal more and more flesh of her upper thigh. Then his eyes snapped up to look her straight in the eye as more skin was shown. It was at that moment that his cheeks turned a bright pink that Hika remembered that unlike the day before she had not bother to wear a pair of shorts underneath her skirt.

This realization hit her quiet powerfully—so much so that she lost the balance she had maintained by holding onto the wrist that had grabbed her own and balancing on one foot. The fact that others had stopped to stare at the strange scene played out between Charlie and the new girl did not help the young demon girl. She toppled over and landed on her back. Hika's legs quickly snapped shut and she started to push her skirt down that was already up to mid-thigh. Her own skin turning a light pink, Hika pushed herself up and started to busily brush her skirt off, unable to look at Charlie. It was then that she noticed a man standing behind Charlie that had been there the whole time and seen the same spectacle that Charlie had. She looked up into the embarrassed face of Kuronue.

Charlie seemed to be in a state of embarrassment and shock as he stared at the girls face. The underwear that he had seen when her skirt had lifted was imprinted plainly on his mind's eye even though he was trying to replace it with an image of the girls face instead. Quickly he brought up the first thing he could think of other than her underwear.

"We normally meet up in the courtyard for lunch. If you want, I can meet you at your locker and help you carry the lunches there," he offered to the young woman that was about to turn around and leave. He could already hear gossip start to take hold in the onlookers and he wanted to make sure that she didn't get the sharp end of it. If Charlie could change the situation where he was the 'bad' guy then he would. The new girl didn't need to deal with that kind of thing on her second day.

Hika paused in her escape to look at the two young men that had seen a place she had never let anyone else see. She just wanted to hide her face and get away from these people. But she was supposed to blend in, so accepting help, her mind told her, would be a good way to go. Putting on a sheepish smile, Hika nodded. "If you could, that would be very helpful thank you Charlie. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go and … find some way to make myself very unnoticeable." And with that said, she practically ran from the area where so many people had stopped to see what was going on. She felt like her face was on fire.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Charlie wasn't alone when Hika returned to her locker at lunch. Inane was standing with him, speaking animatedly with the young elemental boy. When Inane's eyes locked on Hika's nearing form, she broke off in mid-sentence to rush at the astonished young bat girl nearing her. Hika was about to say something along the lines that she was just now going to get the lunches out when Inane grabbed both of Hika's hands and held them up in her own hands as if pleading with the other girl.

"I am _so sorry_ for the way that Kuronue acted earlier. Charlie told me all about it. He's normally such a sweet guy. And after you made us lunches and all, how Kuronue could yell at you is beyond me. I mean you didn't even mean to take us home with you, we just kind of pushed ourselves onto you and made you take us to your house. If we'd known that it would have gotten you into trouble we would never have—" Inane was saying so fast that eventually Hika just stopped listening and nodded her head dumbfounded.

What had Kuronue yelled at her about? What had Charlie told Inane had happened? Hika bit the inside of her lips to keep from breaking out into a smile at the rate in which Inane was trying to apologize. Confusion must have been plain on Hika's face, for eventually Inane stopped talking and looked up at the girl with wide eyes.

"Please, Hika, don't think badly of Kuronue. Please don't make him or Charlie suffer by not giving him or Charlie lunches because of what happened in the hallway. We are really nice people given the chance," Inane finally finished, her worry splayed over her own face. Hika couldn't help but grin at that. While there had been a time when she'd been considering refusing to give the guys their food for looking up her skirt, she had decided against it in the end.

"Inane, please, why would I refuse to give people food when I promised to bring it in the first place? That would be no way to gain friendship with anyone," Hika told the young woman before slowly slipping her hands free and going to her locker. Opening her locker, she pulled out the four boxes carefully so that nothing spilled. She found hands reaching forward and taking two before she could balance them properly. When her blue-grey eyes searched for the body that controlled the hands she saw sky blue eyes return the gaze sheepishly. Then feminine hands took another of the boxes and Hika was left with carrying only one box. She looked at the two that were helping her with surprise.

"I promised I would help you carry these," Charlie told the demon girl with one of his smiles that seemed to brighten up the area all by itself. He was trying hard not to think of the underwear he had seen earlier in the day and having a hard time of it. Every time that he looked at the young woman the scene replayed in his mind as if trying to get him to acknowledge his mistake—sneaking up on a young woman who had grown up around demons. Instead, he turned to focus all his energy on Hika's face which was showing disbelief and suspicion.

"You have to be the weirdest—" Hika started to say before looking sideways at Inane, "people that I have ever met." She had been about to call Charlie a demon. Hika made a mental note to start curbing what she was saying to others. It would not be good for her or her family to release a little bit too much information.

"Really? Do people not normally keep their promises where you used to live?" Inane asked as she turned to lead the way to where they would be eating carrying one of the boxed lunches.

"No. The people I used to live with were basically outlaws. My mother was best friends with the leader so we were allowed to stick around. He died a few years ago so we decided to move into the old house. Ma's not really accepted by the main family, because she choose to live with Yoko; so they were more than happy to let us have it." Hika said, scrambling to come up with a cover story. She should have hashed one out with her mother before she had started at this school. That or she would have to be careful what she said in the future. She was already being given a weird look from the human. No doubt the fact she grew p o the 'wrong side of the law' would be all over the school by the end of the week.

"No wonder you aren't afraid of your house! Do you have any stories from growing up? I find those that are on the opposite side of the law to be really fascinating," Inane encouraged after losing the incredulous look from her face. She was very good at hiding her emotions.

Um, yeah, I have tons of stories. If you aren't going to turn them over t o the cops, I'll be happy to tell you about the time I lived with our little group, HIka said, thinking back to the last one hundred years that she could think of and remember. She had plenty of stories. She would just have to remember to 'censor' the demons and other nonhuman details out of them.

By this time they had entered the courtyard wehre they were to eat. As her eyes attempted to adjust to the sunlight, HIka paused to look around. Before she could continue after her to-be friends, she felt the lunch box that she had been carrying lifted from her grasp.

This was one of the things that Hika had to admit was annoying about being a bat demon in the human world. In Demon World it was general overcast, or dark because of the red-brown sky that hid the direct sunlight. Bat demons had an advantage there: their eyes didn't have to adjust to the gloomy light all the times. But here in the Human world the sun did not have that protection of a red-brown sky, but could fall right down on the humans. That meant that for demons like Hika, they had to wait at least ten seconds before their eyes could fully adjust to the difference to the light after coming out of buildings. Because of this weakness, HIka was set upon and relieved of her lunch before she could adjust to the light that had temporarily blinded her. And then a shadow was covering her face and the young bat demon was once again blinking rapidly to try and accustom her eyes to the flipping back and forth of the light to shade.

"Hika?" came Inane's voice that rolled like water over pebbles to the ears of the bat demon.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" came a voice that sounded like the quiet crackling ofa fire to Hika's suddenly super sensitive ears—Charlie she guessed.

"I'm sorry, did I spook you?" came another voice from the direction of the shadow that loomed over her. It was almost musical to the girl's ears—like the sound of wings beating against the wind in the middle of the night, of tree's whooshing in the wake of a storm. It was ask she heard this voice that her eyes became accustomed to the light.

Looking up, Hika found that it had been Kuronue that had taken the lunch box from her. He'd been waiting next to the door for them to get there with the lunches, not being able to get himself to go and help at the lockers. Breaking herself form the zoning out she found herself, Hika found the three of them looking at her strange, as if her zoning out had been accompanied by speaking in tongues. For a moment, Hika worried that maybe her bat wings had broken free, but they were still tightly wound against her body by the brace. It occurred to her that she must have been staring at them for a time without answering their questions about her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, sorry, it's these new contacts and all. They don't like sudden change in brightness so my eyes took a moment to adjust is all. It didn't help that Kuronue startled me either by taking the lunch when I was almost blind," Hika lied slowly, looking away from all three of them to glare up at the sky. So that was two times that she had lied to these people she considered friends in the last few hours. She would have to either start figuring out her lies or she'd be in a tangle of mess before long.

They continued to ask if she was okay as she went over to one of the lunch tables that were laid out, letting Kuronue carry the last lunch box. She wasn't going to argue if others wanted to do her work for her. They sat around her and took a box for themselves, leaving her with the one that Kuronue had carried over after scaring her.

"So tell me about those people you lived with if you don't mind," Inane asked, after a silence had continued on for a few moments. She was a woman that needed to speak to fill up a silence whereas Hika could relax in a silence.

Hika blinked as she took a bite of rice and looked away at a tree nearby, trying to think of one that she could tell without having to worry too much about censorship. As the tree swayed in a breeze, she smiled and looked down at her food. She took another bite and then put her utensils down and closed her eyes as if reciting a story from memory. A demon had helped her hide from her mother for five days when she had been angry with her. She put in different explanations other than 'he could turn things invisible'. Then she told them a story about a guy that was stuck in a bank that they had to 'extract' that she had taken part of a year before when she was 'sixteen'.

Inane was hooked on the stories and ate with her eyes focused on the storyteller. Charlie watched the young demon girl with interest though he seemed more interested in the food he was eating. It had been cooked with a demon world twist—different spices that could only be found in the demon world. It would not change the basic taste of the rice or chicken or other food that she had prepared for each person, but it would give a subtle hint of exotic taste underneath that taste.

Kuronue was looking away to mask his own interest in the tales. He ate the food, but did not compliment it like the others had. The taste had opened something in his mind and he was remembering small things from being a demon—bamboo shoots that were coming down fast, a necklace, earrings in the shape of a moon and stars, a woman who looked so much like Hika hiding in a hay loft with a look for pure terror on her face. He blinked away the memories when that picture of a woman sprang into his minds eyes. He turned to look at the young woman laughing as she talked about how the man that was caught in a trap had tripped over her, sending them both sprawled over the concrete with her on top of him and how Yoko had dragged the thief off of her with a look of pure fury on his face.

Kuronue's blue-purple eyes looked at Charlie. He had seen the way that Charlie had acted around the young woman that was new to the school. He had never seen the elemental incarnate show any true interest in any woman that they had ever met. Even Inane Charlie ignored for the most part and treated her like she was just 'one of the guys'. With Hika, Charlie was treating her like she was a delicate rose that he wanted to pick and preserve but at the same time wanted to leave attached to her bush so she could grow more and become more beautiful.

Kuronue couldn't understand why his heart clinched whenever his friend seemed to get that look on his face. He had Inane and he loved the human girl. He could hardly stand the Bat demon that seemed to be so on top of everything. She seemed to believe herself better than the ones around her. All because she had grown up in demon world and could remember it.

He didn't realize it but he was frowning deeply at Hika at this point when she opened her eyes and took a bite of her food. She paused as their eyes met for a moment. Chicken half way to her mouth, she watched him as he glared at her. The other two at the table looked in between the two, confused at the reactions.

Hika slowly put the chicken back down in her lunch box and straightened as she continued to hold the eye contact with Kuronue who watched her with an increasing frown and glare. What had she done now? Did he disapprove of how close she had come to telling the human about demons with her stories? She frowned and looked down at her food. The disapproval that she saw in the back of Kuronue's gaze scared her.

Slowly the young girl pushed a few strands of her hair back out of her face and rose from her seat. Without saying a word she took the lid of her own lunch box and put it back in its place. Raising her eyes up from her lunch box she looked at Kuronue and Kuronue alone.

"I'm sorry that I dropped by without announcing it last night. I'm not used to normal behavior. After all, I was raised by a gang of thieves and hustlers. If you didn't want me here Kuronue, you just had to say it before I went and made a fool of myself," Hika said, her voice low and without emotion. She had thought that she had seriously been making friends here.

"Hika, wait, you don't have to leave," Charlie started before Kuronue made a movement to hush him.

"I know when someone doesn't want me around Charlie. I won't force my company on anyone," Hika said, her eyes never leaving Kuronue. Inane seemed to fluff a little at the insinuation that Kuronue was going to force Hika to leave. She had really been enjoying the stories. But before Inane or Charlie could stop her, Hika smiled at them and left.

She kept her back straight until she was sure that no one she had been sitting with could see her. Then Hika slouched against the wall, holding the lunch box to her chest as if it was there to protect her from anything that was about to attack her.

"You know, I don't normally hate people, but when someone assumes something about another, I really can't help but dislike them."

Looking up as she blinked away hate filled tears, Hika stared at Kuronue who had followed her and was not standing in front of her. It had been him that had spoken, bringing her to the attention that she was alone with him now. She stood straight, reaching up with her hand to dash away the small tears that had started to form on her eyes lashes. Then she straightened her face and looked up at Kuronue.

"I'm only going off what you yourself have done. First of all, you yell at me for spooking your girlfriend last night because I was trying to get out of the tree without her noticing my… unusual characteristics. Then you call me a troublemaker. Then when I've given you the food that you ate, you start frowning and glaring at me like I'm sort of annoyance. Did I leave anything else out?" Hika said in her softest voice as a group of girls and boys went by. Kuronue took a step closer so that they were less than three feet apart so that the group could pass them and he could still hear Hika.

"Maybe I just don't like spies." Kuronue retorted once the group was gone out of hearing range.

"And maybe I just like to take strolls at night to keep my wings from going useless. Let me remind you Kuronue that I grew up in a world where I could go out flying without having to worry about being seen. Your house was just on my flight," Hika snapped. She didn't like the term spy. It indicated that she shared what she saw; that she worked for someone.

"And if anyone saw you then the whole world would know about demon world and nowhere would be safe from demons or humans."

"I know!" Hika said a bit louder than she had meant to. Clenching her jaw shut she looked away. This man made her so mad. "Listen. You wouldn't understand. You've never been able to fly through the air without a care in the world. To have the wind whip your hair around as if it were trying to tell you something. You've never rested on a cloud and thought how peaceful it would be to stay up there forever and never have to deal with the world again. You don't understand what it's like being kept from all that. To not be able to stretch a part of you that, if everyone else around you got their way, would never stretch again. You, Kuronue, haven't felt that, nor will you." She was realizing just how true her words were. If her parents got their way she would be stuck in this world for the rest of her life. She turned from the human after she considered punching him for getting in her face about this.

"You are right, I don't know that feeling. But I know what it's like to be in a roll that you don't think you are supposed to be. I've had that feeling since I awoke consciously. I never fit in. I don't know if I ever will. But I'm at least trying. I was able to find a human girl that makes me happier than I ever was when all I thought about was how I didn't fit in around this place. My suggestion to you Hika, is to find someone that makes you feel that way and stick with them. It'll make you a lot happier," Kuronue said before turning to walk off. He wasn't going to get yelled at by a demon that thought she knew everything.

After Kuronue was gone, Hika turned and slammed her fist as hard as she could into the wall. As the pain ran up her arm she glared fire at the wall. If she hadn't hit the wall she may very well have gone and kicked the ass of that human. How dare he tell her to just give up on her wishes to go home to demon world and live a free life!

"I'll never be a friend of his. Not if this keeps up." She said as her anger disappeared. It was her own fault. She was technically, if you asked human law, an adult. She was almost one hundred and fifty after all. Hah. In demon age, that was hardly out of childhood. She could run away.

"Run away huh? I think you should do it. It'd give me all the opportunity to get at you."

Slowly, the young girl turned to look at a student that was standing behind her. He was about a foot taller than her and loomed over the girl. While he was using his own voice, it had a ring to it that sounded like the man that had met her the day before. Stiffening, Hika put her back against the wall as she watched him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Please, go ahead and run away little Hika. I look forward to taking your mind and devouring it like I was unable to do to your grandmother." The student said with a sick and twisted smile. "See, I always thought that a chase was more interesting than a girl simply standing there." The human boy drew nearer to the stock still young demon girl.

Hika couldn't move. She kept screaming at her body to run, to kick to do something, but it wouldn't obey her. She felt grimy hands filtering through her mind, trickling through her thoughts and the attempts of throwing up a shield. Then the boy was pushing his body against hers. She dropped the lunch box which spilled its contents onto the floor next to them. She felt her arms being lifted and then grasped by the hand of the boy that kept pressing his body against her.

"Or maybe I'll just keep you still while I have my way with you." The demon said through the boy before the human boy leaned forward and smashed his lips against Hika's.

_No!_ she screamed as this person who was possessed stole her first kiss. This shock seemed to awaken her senses and she started to struggle to get her wrists away from the grasp that tightened. The boy was laughing at her maliciously.

"Your first kiss huh? Well, don't worry Hika. I will steal more than just your first kiss when I'm through with you," the voice said as the girl continued to struggle. "Anyway, I like a girl that struggles." The lips smashed down on Hika's again with the ferocity as before. A cough broke the two apart, much to Hika's joy. She looked for the source of the cough and shrank a little from fear.

Standing there, glaring at the young man, was Kuronue carrying the three lunch boxes that he had gone to fetch after their 'debate' on what the girl should do with her life here in human world. Behind the tall young man, stood an equally angry Charlie and stunned Inane. It was not the anger that was scaring Hika though. It was the amount of power coming off Charlie in waves and the high amount of spirit energy sweeping off Kuronue. Her demonic senses were overloading from the amount of energy that was filling the area.

Only the young human started to laugh instead of cower in fear of the energy. "Well if it isn't Kuronue. I hear that you've given up on Hiromi here and that you want nothing to do with her in this life time. So I bet you wouldn't mind me taking a little time with her would you?" the boy said with a wicked laugh.

"How about I kick your ass and then we'll see if you are in any form to take advantage of her?" Kuronue asked, slowly handing the lunch boxes back to Inane who took them as she stared between the young girl and man that were in the situation. "Inane, take these back to Hika's locker please. We'll be along soon. I'd rather you not see what I may have to do to this young man if he does not release our friend Hika."

Inane followed his suggest with a look back at the other girl, as if she didn't want to leave her. But then she saw that Kuronue was rolling his shoulders as if getting ready to fight. That sent the girl running to stand around the corner to make sure that no adults interrupted the fight. She knew her job. Kuronue had been in fights before; though if you asked the teachers, they had never seen a fight between Kuronue and anyone else.

"That was very stupid of you Kuronue. You kept me away from Hiromi before by giving her those earrings. Now you don't want her and you've let that human go and stand watch. Maybe I should drop this boy and take over her and make her kill some children." The boy over Hika said.

Hika's heart slammed to a stop and then she acted without thinking. She slammed her knee up into the young man at the same time as pulling her wrists. As the young man doubled over to hold onto his family jewels, she brought her elbow down on the back of his neck. Hika didn't need any more warning. She turned and sprinted around the corner where she found Inane juggling a knife that had appeared near her.

Hika came to a halt as Charlie and Kuronue joined her. Kuronue didn't wait for long, he dashed forward. He had to stop this demon from making Inane do anything dangerous. The knife slipped. A scream. Kuronue came to a halt and stared at the scene before him…

Hika had halted only for a moment when she saw Kuronue fly forward to keep the young woman from hurting herself. She had broken her bindings on her wings and literally flown forward, getting there before the human could. She shoved Inane out of the way as the knife came down…

Charlie sent forward a wave of heat that pushed Hika forward at a faster pace. He couldn't do much with his powers sealed, but he could manipulate heat. Only the knife he didn't have enough time to move. It came plunging down…

Inane didn't understand what was going on. She had been standing guard to make sure that no teachers came up upon the fight around the corner. And then she had found a knife and picked it up—only it wasn't her. Someone was chuckling in her mind that she would be wishing she'd never gotten into anything with Kuronue and someone named Hiromi. Then she saw Hika and the two guys come around the corner. Kuronue started running at her as she started to flip the knife up and down. Then curiously Hika had bat wings and was flying forward. The last she remembered was being pushed and seeing the knife plunging down towards Hika…

Hika writhed on the ground, pain blocking out every other part of her mind. She couldn't see where the knife had landed. She couldn't see at all. Her vision was full of black and white stars that danced before her as her mind tried to comprehend what had happened only to find that it was pain that controlled her mind. She could hear two guys asking questions.

"Hika, oh my gosh are you okay? Should we take you home? Who should we call?"

"Inane are you all right? Inane, wake up! Come one don't do this to me please, wake up!"

In a numb understanding, she slowly turned her head and looked at where the pain emanated from. Her stomach rolled. Between two of the ribs on her right wing there was a gap the length of her arm. The membrane that created her wing had been sliced clean through by the knife that Inane had been playing with. She stared at the torn wing and felt like she was going to lose her cookies. Her mother had told her about demons that had lost the ability to fly because the membrane of their wings had been destroyed. She was sure that it would never happen to her whenever her mother had talked to her about it.

Unconsciousness fight for her attention, but a voice in her mind kept her from falling into the welcomed unconsciousness where pain wouldn't bother her. _So I steal your first kiss and your ability to fly. My my, today was my lucky day._ And then the blackness of her unconsciousness took ahold and the pain stopped…

Voices. That was what woke Hika from the painless sleep she had been in.

"The likelihood of her ever flying is very slim. I wasn't able to get the membrane stitched up before it began to heal. If we had been able to do that, then it would have healed as one rather than two separate pieces." That was a male speaking.

"Are you sure there isn't anything you can do? Cut it anew wand then sew it back together?" that was her mother's voice. What were they talking about? Had someone with wings been attacked? Why was she just waking up? Didn't she have school?

"I could," drawled the voice, "But if something happened, then she might have to have the whole wing cut off. I'm good, but I'm no expert in bat wings."

Memories of being kissed, of pushing Inane out of the way of a falling knife, of seeing a wing torn pushed into Hika's mind as she slowly opened her eyes. She was staring up at the ceiling of her own bedroom. Only she wasn't laying on her bed, but on the floor with a blanket thrown over her. Hika didn't move at first. Maybe it had all been a dream?

Slowly she tilted her head to look at the wing that lay out next to her. There wasn't any pain. There was however an overwhelming sadness as she saw the two pieces of wing where the tear was. Closing her eyes she looked away from the wing, realizing that in a wave of irony she was now living out the same thing she had yelled at Kuronue about feeling.

She silently listened to the voices as they continued to talk about her chances of ever flying again. It was like listening to someone talk about the likelihood of there being fish for dinner. Finally she pushed herself slowly into sitting position, huddling the wing close to her body. When she felt that she could, Hika pushed herself up and walked around her room, pulling on a pair of jeans and a tank top from one of her drawers on top of the underwear she had found herself in.

Looking at the door that would lead out to the group that was talking about her wing, Hika tried to decide if she wanted to go out and show them that she was awake or not. As quietly as she could she went to her window and climbed out, being careful to not touch her wing against anything.

When she was out onto the roof of the building's lower story, Hika looked up at the darkening sky. So she had been out since almost one o'clock? Sitting down on the roof, she pulled her wing carefully around so that she could examine the tear.

"So I won't ever fly again huh?" She asked the wind quietly as she continued to look at her wing. She closed her eyes and then looked over towards the west as the sun dipped down below the horizon. She leaned back on the palms of her hands and signed, looking up as the first few stars began to show.

Watching the stars, Hika made up her mind. She pushed herself into stand and flexed her good wing and then slowly the bad wing. When she could move it without it hurting, she jumped. She fluttered her wings in an attempt to gain altitude. No matter how much she flapped her wings though, the wind wouldn't get caught under the right wing. She landed back on the roof with a thud. Growling, Hika decided that something else would have to work. Looking around, she braced herself. Running towards the edge of the roof, she launched herself into the air and started to beat her wings.

Hika floated for a moment in the air as her left wing flapped faster and harder than her right one. But no matter how hard the left one flapped, Hika landed on the ground hard not a minute later. She lay on the ground for a few minutes, glaring at it. Then she started to push herself up as she heard the door behind her open and a gasp. Pausing on her hands and knees, Hika tried to sense who it was, only there was no energy from the doorway.

Finally she pushed herself up to stand and turned to look at the doorway. Hika paused as she saw Inane standing there with Kuronue behind her and Charlie behind him. She might have considered trying to hide her wings if it hadn't been that her mother stood behind the three high school students with her own wings out. In the back of her mind she noted that Inane was taking the sight of bat wings very calmly for a human. She had to give that point away though for she had been with demons for who knew how long that day since she had passed out.

Seeing the four of them looking at her, Hika looked away and went to climb a tree that was nearby. Determined to show them that she wasn't going to give up flying, Hika stood one of the highest branches and launched herself into the sky. She could hear Inane cry out as she tried to beat her wings in unison only to find herself plummeting to the ground again. She braced herself and hit with a painless thud. It occurred to her that the only reason she could not feel the pain was that they had given her some form of pain medication from demon world to cut the pain out.

Footsteps neared as she pushed herself up again. She was about to get up when a hand rested on her shoulder. It was a hand that was heavy with understanding. Slowly Hika turned her hand to look up at Charlie who knelt next to her. Their eyes met and finally Hika's eyes filled with tears that she'd been refusing to cry.

As they fell, Hika launched herself into the awaiting arms of Charlie, hiding her face in his shirt. _He _understood. He couldn't be what he was made to be. He couldn't join the fire any more than she would be able to fly with her mother and father, or for her own enjoyment like a bat should be allowed to do.

As the tears ran out she picked up on the hatred that was starting to form. She would kill that demon that did this. He had done more than insult her and stolen her first kiss. He had killed any chance of her flying again.

She was led into the house after she had quieted. She had not said a word as they tried to get out of her what had happened. Inane asked questions about demons. Hika remained quiet, staring out the window in the dining room where they sat. Her mind was on ideas about how she would find the demon and kill him without killing an innocent host.

While her father was explaining to Inane about what had happened to Hika's wing, Hika rose and left the room to go back out into the backyard. She wrapped her wings around her and winced as the pain pill started to wear off.

"What do you want Kuronue?" Hika asked when she felt him near her. When he didn't answer she turned to look at him with cold, unemotional ice-blue eyes.

"You had no reason to save Inane. You could have left her safety to me. Instead you risked yourself and now you'll never fly. Why?" Kuronue asked, frowning at her.

"Why indeed." She muttered and looked up at the star filling sky. "I did it because she was an innocent bystander that got mixed up in my fight. She shouldn't have been involved but that blasted demon decided that no one was out of bounds. And, Inane was really nice to me. She made me feel welcome. I couldn't see someone like that getting hurt because I was trying to be friendly."

"Most demon's wouldn't think like that. They would be selfish." Kuronue pointed out.

"Well that's the weakness I must bare since I'm only 3/4ths demon," Hika said as she rolled her eyes.

"3/4th demon? How is that possible? Both of your parents are demons." Kuronue asked, frowning even deeper as he watched the girl before him.

"Wrong. My mother is only half demon. A half demon breeds with a full demon and you get a three-fourths demon with one-fourth human DNA. At least that's what ma says. Who knows how much I am demon and how much I'm human. It doesn't matter either way really. And it shouldn't matter to you. You, nor Inane, were hurt, which is what I was aiming for. It's my fight and I will make sure that that demon bastard gets what he deserves for including Inane, you and Charlie in this fight," Hika said loudly so that the ones hiding behind the door could hear. She had sensed them near a few minutes after Kuronue had joined her.

"Now hold on!" Charlie said, stumbling out, unable to help himself. "I promised you that I'd help you! I don't plan on letting you out of that agreement. And you'll need me even more now that you only have one wing."

Inane joined him too, looking appalled. "And you think that I'm just going to let you go off on your own you are nuts Hika! You saved my life from the story that Charlie and Kuronue told me! And I wanna give this demon a piece of my mind! I may be able to help bandage or take care of wounds. I don't have to fight, but I can definitely be helpful. After all," Inane paused and looked sheepishly at Hika, "I thought we were friends."

"And if Inane and Charlie are going to help you, then maybe I can help you too," Kuronue said, putting hands in his pockets as he went to stand next to his other two friends. "And I was hoping we were friends too—despite our bickering."

Hika stared at the four young people that stood there looking at her as if expecting her to try and refuse them so that they could start arguing with her. _It would be nice,_ she noted, _to have someone to rely on._

_But all you have done is hurt them_ said the darker side of her that hated to rely on others. It was almost like a dark Hika that wanted to do everything herself.

"Hika, dear, I think it would be a good idea if you told us everything from the beginning. The Real beginning, if you please," Hika's mother said, as she, Hika's father, and the other demons came out to join the group standing in front of Hika.

Hika considered this. She had wanted to prove that she could handle a demon by herself. Maybe she was wrong. With a sigh, Hika looked back up at the sky. As if answering her questioning mind, Hika saw a star wink out and not return. "I'll die if I don't get help," she told herself before looking at her friends and her parents.

"What do you know about a demon that can control minds and knew Grandmother Hiromi?" Hika asked and noticed the look of worry and horror on the faces of Night and Takji.


	8. Chapter 8

Note from author: For all of you that have read thus far: yes I know that the memory is... not right. I don't want to copy and paste stories so I changed it up a bit and did it from Kuronue's perspective instead.-ROSEY

Chapter 8

"What can any of you tell me about a mind controlling demon that went after Grandmother Hiromi?" Hika asked, squaring her shoulders. She could feel the presence—a comfortable, supporting presence—of Charlie at her right shoulder. Before the girl stood the others—Inane, Kuronue, and her family.

As she looked at the people that were her friends and family, Hika noticed that Night and Takji were exchanging unhappy, even worried, glances. It was no secret to anyone that looked that they knew exactly who she was asking about.

"Aye, we know the demon you speak of," Takji finally said in her formal way—the way that she only used when she was trying not to break an order given to her by someone higher up but one that she thought she needed to break. "But we should go inside. This isn't something that should be heard by the wind."

Hika was very worried now, and glad that she now had people to back her up. Not many things made Takji nervous. One could find Takji speaking about her latest heist in the open. She did not fear demons that could listen to the wind.

"Inane, Charlie, Kuronue," Hika's father said, unintentionally bringing attention to himself and the three other students. His face was guarded and his arms were wrapped tightly around his wife and mate.

"I understand you want to help. I commend you all for that, especially you Inane for being able to keep a mind when before noon demons were nothing but legends. But I must insist that you leave this to us demons. I've heard the story. I knew Hiromi personally, though I was but a child when it happened. It isn't something for high school students to hear."

Charlie was the first one to speak after this. "I do not think your concern for me is well placed, sir. You are a bad demon, so you must be able to feel my powers," he said, his blue eyes dark as the moon rose over the horizon to light up the yard. "I am more than capable of protecting myself and anyone under my protection."

To demonstrate this, heat began to collect around Hika and himself. The heat, as Charlie half-closed his eyes to concentrate, grew into a pillar in the sky and then with a blink of his eyes caught on fire from a lamp nearby.

Hika gasped in surprise and looked around her. The fire licked at her skin but it wasn't hot—it was like a cold river licking at her skin, trying to get her to go further in to relax. Even the tree that was near her wasn't on fire. Hika turned amazed eyes on the fire elemental and saw him smiling at her, his eyes still half-closed. Their eyes locked and he moved in. The heat was getting to them. Their lips met as the fire licked at their arms and faces.

He smelled of a fire burning pine needles. It felt as if she was being washed clean by a fire. This, she decided, would be her first kiss. There was no way she could count the forced one of that afternoon as her first kiss. It had been hard and all together horrible. This one—this kiss was all that her romantic side could ask for. It was sweet, gentle. It lit a fire in her that no other male had in all her years.

But at the same time the body was all wrong. He should be six foot eight, a bad demon with a mischievous side. He should bring her presents like a flower for human world, or horses.

_Horses?_ Hika thought as they pulled away from each other

Charlie coughed as the reality of the situation hit them. They could hear exclamations from outside the pillar as someone ran into it, trying to bring it down. They shared a quick, shy smile and then separated from the embrace that had begun at the onset of the kiss.

The fire pillar disappeared slowly, the flames licking up at the sky and then floating away like a bunch of fire-colored butterflies. He had done that just to impress the young bat demon that was still staring at the fire pillar that had protected them and then given them the opportunity to share such a wonderful kiss. Takji, the one who had tried to brave the fire, stumbled forward as the shield vanished. She stepped back and stared at the young man that she had simply assumed had high spiritual powers. The two people that they had feared had been eaten by the fire stood there unscathed. Charlie had not told them he was anything more than a human with high spiritual powers. His shirt covered the binding tattoo after all.

Everyone was too busy coming to terms with the fact that he was a fire elemental to notice the blush that mantled both Hika's and Charlie's cheeks—except Kuronue. He didn't know, like at lunch, why it irked him that Charlie was getting a chance at the young bath demon. As if to prove it to himself, he stepped closer to Inane and looped his arm around her lips.

"Young man," the male bat demon said as he watched Charlie carefully, "What are you?"

"We should go inside first," Tyali said, looking around, seemingly uninterested in just 'what' Charlie was, which wasn't true. She wanted to exactly what he could do in order to protect her daughter, but she wasn't going to let it overwhelm her. "Dear, we have spent more time in the air than we should have with that display. We should let the humans decide after we tell them who we are facing. Night, please lead them into the living room. I must go and try to find something."

"Yes, Lady," Night said, glad to do what the daughter of Hiromi wanted for she had started to feel nervous. With that said, she ushered the 'children' into the house. For all her worry and nervousness, she didn't dare touch Kuronue. Instead she ushered the others forward and gave the reincarnated form of her old boss a wide birth.

It was tem minutes later that everyone was sitting (or standing as with the case of Takji who hovered behind Night's seat, comforting hands on the demon's shoulders) in the living room awaiting Tyali's return.

Hika sat on the couth that had been delivered a week before to make the house a little more comfortable for the demons. They had yet found a way to safely convert the living space into a more demon friendly space. They knew too many people with wings, tails, or wet bodies to allow a meeting space to be unfriendly to demons.

Next to her on her left was her 'father'; on her right an empty spot for her mother. On a bench to her left sat Inane and Kuronue, both who had refused to leave when given the option again once they were seated.

"Charlie is going to help! I can help some way too!" Inane had said indignantly when given the option.

"I have grown up with Charlie. I'm friends with a fellow called Kurama. As he has said, I'm a reincarnation of a demon. I had enough spiritual power to destroy a sensor that Hika had put up yesterday during lunch. And besides, if my girlfriend will help, then so will I. 'Can't let her get hurt after all. I'd never forgive myself." Kuronue had sad after smiling fondly at Inane's absolute dedication to the 'mission'.

Sitting against the wall on the floor, directly across from Hika, though refusing to look at her at all, Charlie thought of the incident of the fire pillar. Her lips had been so warm against his own lips. He, had they had the time and opportunity, might have tried to fid a way to go further and express verbally his feelings. Now he wasn't sure what those 'feelings' were. He was shy again—not sure of human emotions like he had been since he had first opened his eyes as a child. He had known the moment that he'd seen his human parents that this was not what he was supposed to be like. At the time though it had all been so right. Now, he wasn't sure. What if—

He snapped out of his thoughts when Tyali entered the room carrying a dust covered box. His magical senses exploded as a barrier was placed around them. No one among them had created one, and anyone that could feel spiritual powers was also looking around with confused or surprised looks. That is, everyone but Takji, Night, and Tyali.

Tyali ceremoniously placed the box on the table in front of Hika, pulling the lid off as she stepped passed her daughter to sit on the couch. Her black and slightly purple wings folded gracefully as she sat on the couch, making sure not to sit on her daughter's wing that had just recently been healed.

"Has my daughter told you why our family abandoned this house? For that is the true start of this story," Tyali asked as she relaxed back.

"That an ancestor had a half-demon girl child and was spirited away by a fox spirit and female warrior demons," Inane piped up, her gaze on the box like the rest of the company was. Takji and Night exchanged humored glances, unable to keep a small smile from flitting onto their expressions.

The box held a pair of earrings. They leaked energy. They lay on a pile of silks. Silver moons with small stars glittered on the dangles. Hika's and Kuronue's eyes were locked on the 'ear dangles', each having a blast from the past moment at seeing them.

"_It's my fault that the children were killed. If I had known how to shield my mind they would be alive," said a young woman, her long black hair pulled back into a braid. She smelled of horses as she should since she had just been riding her own horse like a hell fury in the ring that he had had made her._

"_It isn't your fault. That demon made you do it." Kuronue said, towering over the human without meaning to. He held the present he had gotten her behind his back, waiting for the right moment. Sighing he pulled the box that held them from behind his back and held them out to her. "Here, it is almost the New Years." _

_She took the box and pulled out the pair of earrings and gasped. He could see that she liked them from her gaze. He had spent so much time trying to figure her out that he almost knew all of her facial expressions, having watched them every chance he got. He was about to ask her if her ears were pierced when she brutally shoved the earrings through her half-closed ear ring hole. He stepped forward to stop her from repeating the process but she had already done it. He couldn't help it he smiled. The look of realization on her face was so beautiful and awestruck. _

"_You will never be victim of a demon with mind controlling powers as long as you wear them, I promise." He told her. And then she was crying against him, everything coming down to that point in which she realized that she wasn't fully at fault. The woman demon that had made them had told him to except some reaction like this because it would clear the mind of the guilt so that she could see the reality of what had happened._

_The next few minutes were filled with crying, confessions, and then he was pushing the girl up against the wall, his lips locking with her. A cough from the direction of the doorway brought them back to the barn and away from the heaven area that they had been entering. Audra, Kuronue's mind provided. _

"_Yoko wanted me to remind you that there is a demon downstairs that needs to be tortured. He may after all have the name of the Demon. Lord Yoko also wants to know if Hiromi would like to join so that she may find the name of the demon." The demon warrior asked…_

"Hika?"

Hika blinked out of the memory and looked at her father who had broken through to her.

"Sorry, they are just so beautiful I lost myself in it." Hika said hurriedly before looking away. Sadly, her gaze landed on Kuronue and that only made it worse, especially when their eyes accidentally met. They both remembered the kisses and the reason behind it, but they couldn't believe that it had to do with them. At least, Hika refused to think that. Kuronue was simply confused.

"Yes, Inane. Basically that is the story. Hiromi, my mother, was that human. Takji and Night were two of the women that as you said, spirited us away when I was but ten minutes old." Tyali said with a fond smile at the two other female demons.

"But, the demon that went after Mother Hiromi was before the birth of little ol' me. In fact, it actually caused in a roundabout way m birth. These earrings are the ones that protected my human mother's mind from the Demon for the rest of her life after my father died. But sadly, it was only after the initial attack that these were made for my mother."

"Hiromi was a wonderful human. Strong for a human as well. She wouldn't take any crap from Lord Yoko or Lord—" Night said before pausing and looking from Kuronue to Takji. She wasn't sure if she ought to say it or not. It might just ruin their plans for Hika and Kuronue.

"Lord Kuronue. He was the one that actually captured Lady Hiromi, and if we are not mistaken, was reborn into you boy. It's odd that you go the same name as before, but it was definitely convenient." Takji said at the shocked Inane and mildly surprised Kuronue. She wouldn't elaborate however on why it was convenient.

"Anyway," Night said quickly after a moment of silence, "Lady Hiromi was with us maybe three months when she was taken over mentally. The demon was powerful and very smart. It waited until Kuronue had gotten Hika angry to attack. She was made to watch from inside her own body, unable to control anything. He… the bastard killed all the infants in the castle. They were no older than two or three months." Night's eyes were scary. They had gone pitch black and a black spider had started to appear on her lap.

"Night, we don't need to let Roger out just now." Takji said, soothingly, running a gentle hand over Night's hair. Night snapped out of her hate filled mind and the spider vanished slowly.

"Lady Hiromi was never the same after that. She could scarcely sleep a whole night after it had happened. Not until Lord Kuronue found these earrings. They, when worn, produce a barrier that blocks mental attacks. When not worn they produce the barrier you felt when I entered the room," Tyali finished, looking at the earring cautiously.

"Wait, who was your father then? Another demon from were Hiromi lived?" Inane asked, stilling the room.

_Why couldn't these humans not be as curious as cat demons? _Hika wondered. The other demons in the room exchanged glances, not wanting to say it. Hika had heard the stories far more often than she would have liked to admit and so, she felt not need to hide the information from the people that wanted to protect her.

"My mother is a half bat demon. Kuronue was a bat demon. Kuronue was Hiromi's lover." Hika finally blurted out, interrupting the silence. "He was killed while on a heist with Yoko. He left my grandmother with child."

The silence grew again for a while as the humans comprehended the information. Once again it was Inane who asked the question that needed to be asked.

"But if this demon that controls minds was after Hiromi, and this demon Kuronue," she seemed incapable of putting wings on the back of Kuronue and realizing that they were the same person, "Then why would he go after Hika? I mean, she is Hiromi's granddaughter, but… wouldn't he have gone after you Tyali?"

"That is a good question, I wish—" Tyali started to lie.

"Don't act like you don't know," Hika snapped, anger getting the better of her. She rose from her seat between her parents and turned to glare at her mother. "I heard you talking with Aunt Night and Aunt Takji last night!" Her mother paled. "And He told me yesterday afternoon when He visited me during lunch. You all—Koenma, Kurama, you, Night, Takji—couldn't just leave well enough alone! Did you ever wonder what would happen if Kuronue hadn't been reincarnated until I was an old demon! I may have Hiromi's soul, but I am not her. I don't want to be her. I want—I want to be able to fly again!"

She could feel hot, angry tears welling up in her eyes and she dashed them away from her eyes angrily. When they continued to grow she sprinted from the living room, stamping up the stairs to her room. She winced as her wing slammed into a wall on her way up before she crashed into her room. She kicked the bedding that still lay on the ground out of the way.

"Get out!" she yelled as her door opened to admit someone. "I just want—" she paused as her eyes landed on Charlie. With his orange hair and blue eyes, he could very well have been a human. He looked as fragile as one as he stood there watching her. But then one would have noticed how sure of himself he was as he slid close the door behind him; how confident he was as he rested back against the door, making sure that no one else came in. It was if he knew that she wouldn't kick him out.

"So, bat, what are you going to do now that you know what you do?"Charlie asked in an uninterested way. Hika found herself moving over to lean against the wall next to him. On the way over, she noticed that the clock read 8:47 pm. It had really been that long since she had awoken? Where had the time gone?

"I don't know. So, fire, what are you going to do now that you know what you know?" Hika asked with a grin. She couldn't help but feel connected to him. They were so similar. They were both kept from what they truly loved—flying and being a part of a fire.

"I'm going to kiss you." Charlie told the girl as he pushed himself away from the wall to stand in front of the girl whose grin had fallen as she watched him near. Their lips met and everything around them disappeared. They weren't in her bedroom or in a world with demons threatening their lives. They were in a life surrounded by a fire pillar that would not let anything hurt them; this world revolved around a heat filled, gentle, sweet kiss. When it ended, Hika's body slumped a bit against her wall. Her eyes slowly opened to meet Charlie's.

"So, bat," Charlie asked. He was a tad bit out of breath, which caused his accent to become more pronounced. "What are you going to do?"

Hika couldn't help it. She laughed, rolled her eyes a little, and pulled him into a kiss that left them both flushed and out of breath. She was backed up against the wall, his body pressed against hers. His hands rested on her waist while hers had looped around his neck. They were about to go at it again when a vibrating sound came from Charlie's front pocket.

Hika jerked as she felt the buzz on her leg. Charlie jumped, for a moment afraid of having been found pressed up against the young woman by her father or mother. That was not something that he wanted to experience. When he realized that it was his cell phone, he dug his phone out and answered.

"Oh, gosh, Mom, I'm sorry! We are hanging out at a friend's house. She got hurt at school buy a guy that wouldn't take no for an answer… Yes, she's alright now… Kuronue and I found her—No, she wasn't violated." Charlie answered, unable to keep from smiling. Quietly he mouthed '20 questions' at Hika who was trying not to laugh or giggle.

"I'll come home in a little. She's the new girl from the family that just moved in… If you want I can get their phone number and then you can check with them to see if they will vouch for me… I'll ask her Mom, talk to you later. Yes Mom. Bye Mom."

Finally he closed the phone and smiled down at the girl that hadn't moved from the place where she had been pushed during their lip locking session not even a foot from Charlie's body.

"You should head home. So should the others." Hika said as she looked shyly at the ground.

"Would you and your family like to come for dinner 'when you are feeling better'?" Charlie asked, wondering if the kisses had meant anything or if it had been just that moment again? Would he ever figure it out? Would he ever truly feel confident in his human emotions?

Hika blinked, surprised, "Why would your mother want to invite us?"

"Well, her logic is that you fed me tonight, so she must feed you and your family sometime." Charlie explained with a small smile.

"I'll see when I can get my wings back into the brace. That'll be when 'I'm feeling better'." Hika told the young man, who nodded in return.

"Hika, if those kisses—"

"You stole my first kiss Charlie. And my second and my third. If you are going to say anything, you can say goodnight and that you will visit again. And that those won't be the end of the kisses—should we both feel the same later." Hika said, a mischievous smile growing on her face. "And maybe give me another before you leave to join the others?"

Charlie grinned and did as she asked. Then he went downstairs, leaving a breathless Hika to smile dreamily ahead of herself. Two days and she had already started to like someone. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad…

Maybe.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I opened my eyes slowly. I was in another person's body and so I had to be careful to make sure that I didn't break the will of the mind. If I broke the will then I would be locked in this body until I became powerful enough to break out. The damned curse of a min controller that is.

I moved the body slowly, checking the limbs, checking the head for any mental damage. Good. Now just to take over and …

Except before I could there was a tug on my body—not the body I was in but the body in which I truly belonged.

I blinked and looked out at a room that was large. Before me stood a young woman that seemed to have been on the verge of being angry at me for not waking up.

"Come on you big slouch! If we don't hurry up we'll be late for our rounds." She was saying. Despite the words, it was obvious that she was trying her best to be polite. She, after all, knew what I did when I was 'asleep' and what I could do to her if she angered me too much.

I stretched and rose from the barrack's bed, stretching as I did so.

"Lin, do try to be quiet." I grumbled before moving off down the corridor towards the woman's side bathroom. Despite the female body that I possessed, I had long ago developed a deeper voice that most of my female companions and thus I was sometimes mistaken as a guy when stealing a person's mind.

"Of course." Lin said in a quieter voice though she tagged along, watching as I stripped and cleaned myself. "Oh, by the way, lord Ethan has returned with another capture. He just went to see Lord Koenma about the next assignment he is going to do."

At the mention of 'Lord Ethan' I froze and turned black eyes on the girl. I was so much her opposite. She was bright with blond hair and blue eyes, and with a frame that donned fat in just the right places to make her appear healthy. I was far skinnier than many thought I should be though I pointed out that I work too much to hold any pounds on. My black hair was dangling down around me until it ended at my knees—an annoyance that I was fond of for it tickled the back of my knees when I was showering.

"And…?" I asked, knowing that Lin wouldn't be standing there watching me with my rather flat body wash without having a good reason.

"Lord Ethan slipped a message to me earlier. He wishes your presence in about ten minutes. He told me to tell you he wanted you on time." She said as I watched her with slowly growing eyes.

I sighed and continued to clean myself at a slow pace. Then, naked, I walked back into the sleeping quarters and got dressed. Opening my eyes after tying my hair up into a braid, I left Lin in the room to go find Lord Ethan. When I left the barracks I looked up at the sky and smiled. Far above was the building that served as Lord Koenma's palace. Oh if he only knew what criminals he hid in his regular troops. I chuckled and left to find Ethan in the clearing we used to speak in when he wanted updates on the Hiromi problem.

I moved in with less than five seconds to spare. Of course, Ethan already was there. He turned when I entered and smiled. He looked the same as I had seen him the first time all those years ago—tall, American, black wings that sent thrills through me for unknown reasons.

"Ah, Bleathe, what news do you have?" he asked and I smiled, recounting what I had found most recently about the Hika/Hiromi coupling.

NOTE FROM AUTHOR: Some of you may be confused. Well, this is rather simple: I felt like writing a small, quick chapter from the point of view of the 'demon' in which everyone has been going 'who is it and why are they doing what they are doing'. Well. It doesn't exactly tell you everything, but you can expect to see another sometime soon in which a little bit more of the plot is revealed though prolly not for another ten chapters or so if it lasts that long. Bye! ROSEY


	10. Chapter 10

Note from author: HO HO HOHO~ For those of you that follow the christmas tradition; for those that don't : HAPPY HOLIDAYS HERE IS YOUR GIFT FROM ME TO YOU! :D -Rosey

Chapter 10

It was three days later that found Hika standing outside her school. She no longer needed the brace to hide her wings. Over the last three days she had fought with all her powers to be able to hide her wings with her magic alone, and had finally succeeded. Now her wings could be hidden for up to twelve hours at a time before she became too tired to hold onto the skill.

It was now Saturday, and she was very glad that it was only a half day that was filled with sports and extracurricular activities—or for the less studious students, a time to study and catch up on their work or grades. Hika stared at the school as she thought back to the days before. Charlie had visited every day with her homework. He had stayed only long enough to explain the lesson and for them to have a sweet, shy kiss before he went home. This had confused the half-demon more than the history lessons did. What had happened to the wonderfully forward Charlie that had kissed her before? The question had plagued her as she had trained and tried to sleep without a before sleep flight.

Inane had also visited, much to the demos' surprise. When asked why, Inane had retorted that it didn't matter what her friends were, just so long as they didn't try to eat her or her soul. This had succeeded in bring the whole family to tears with laughter.

The only one that hadn't visited, much to Hika's relief, was Kuronue. She wasn't sure she was ready to deal with that rock slide at all. The memory of making out with him in a stable was still clear to her the girl and she was sure that it was the same for the human Kuronue. Her stomach knotted on her every time it came to her mind. It was as if she wanted to feel that passion with him again while also wanting to forget it like it had never happened.

She felt her stomach curl as she brought herself back to the present and moved onto the school yard. Moving to her locker, a teacher halted her, and asked her what Hika was going to do for her required extracurricular activity.

"I was thinking of trying out for the track team or some other sport," Hika answered with a companionable smile.

"Then speak to Kuronue, He's the team leader," the teacher sad before turning to leave, before stopping. "Oh, tryouts start n about fifteen minutes. You had better go and get ready."

Hika blinked and watched the teacher leave. So she would have to take orders from Kuronue if she made the team? She smiled and shook her head before trotting off towards the changing room. That would be fine with her. It was better that way anyway. As long as he was team captain and she was a subordinate, she would never have to worry about uncertain feelings cropping up. She had learned early in her life to never let feelings for a person in a leader position even enter her mind. It was as if her mind took the person and put them on a pedestal with the words 'do not touch' attached to their shirt.

With this in mind, Hika hurried and changed into the gym outfit she had been given at the beginning of the week. Then she joined the boys and girls that were testing for the track team. The black shorts and white shirt made her blend in with everyone else, but at the same time she stood out for no one spoke to her.

When it was her time to run, she rose to silence. With the other athletes, there had been words of encouragement or cheering. Everyone had heard the rumors of what had happened on Tuesday and so now she found herself moving forward to take the start position with everyone's eyes on her. They wanted to know why she wanted to join a track team when she had let a male student get at her. They wanted to know what she was capable.

Kuronue, who up to this point, had only said start or 'next', stared at the girl with interest. Since the evening in which the Memory had hit him, Kuronue had been trying to figure out what to say to the girl when he saw her next. It seemed though that he wasn't going to get a chance. She hadn't even acknowledged him when she had walked from the group to the start line. What could he have said anyway in front of all these people? First of all he was dating Inane, and if he talked about kissing Hika then there would be rumors flying every which way about what was going on between them. And for another, the memory had quite literally been a lifetime before. He had Inane, and if his guess was right, she was going to have Charlie. Maybe silence, he decided was the best for right now until they could be alone to discuss it.

"Go," he shouted when he noticed that she had taken the ready position. He started the stop watch he held and watched her. He didn't know why, but his eyes were drawn to her face as she ran rather than the other parts of the body that he really should be looking at—leg strength, arm movement—everything that would tell him if she was a capable runner. Her face held a defenselessness he knew was not truly there. She ran as if a demon was after her; like she ran for her life. Her black hair flew around her head and for a second, Kuronue saw a woman with waist length black hair riding on the back of a horse as if trying to get away from some hellish creature. The vision remained only for a moment, before Kuronue saw Hika again as she crossed the finish line. Peeling his eye s away, he looked down at the watch that he held as he pushed the stop button and jotted down the time as she started towards him. Before she reached him, she seemed to change her mind and went back to sit among the girls as she worked to calm her breathing.

Hika was chosen plus four others for the team and were put to running laps to get used to longer runs. The whole time, Hika steered clear of Kuronue and did everything he asked without question, even if it seemed repetitive and pointless. That was what a good subordinate did after all. When she was put to running against the other students, Hika slowed her running a tad so that she came in second or third place every time. She had to 'blend in' after all. She didn't want to be too much in the spotlight. She saw the looks of disapproval she got form Kuronue, but she ignored them and kept at her steady pace. She didn't need to impress anyone, not even him.

When practice was done, Hika ignored him when Kuronue called after her. Once they were out of the track, she had no reason to pay attention to the boy that made her so confused. She couldn't let him continue to make her this way though. She quickly escaped into the girls changing room and then slipped out the back to avoid him further. Having thirty more minutes before she could leave the school, she took the small lunch she had packed and found an empty classroom on the second floor to eat it in. She was sitting in the open window when Inane found her.

"Hey, there you are! We were looking for you," the human said with a large smile before it faded when she saw the saw face Hika had tried to hide with a smile.

"We?"

"Charlie, Kuronue and myself," Inane explained as she cross the classroom to stand next to the half demon, looking out over the school yard below. "It is really wearing on you isn't it? Pretending to be human, hiding your wings, trying to figure out what the Demon is planning?"

"Not really," Hika said before laughing at the doubtful look that Inane gave her. "Okay, yeah, but not in the way that you are thinking."

"In what way then?" Inane inquired.

"I'm more worked that next time you, or Charlie, or Kuronue will get hurt. I don't mind if I get hurt, well I sort of do when it comes to my wings, but otherwise not all that much. But I don't want my friends to get hurt. The demon is after me, not you all," Hika said, before taking a bite of some rice. "It just doesn't make sense really. Hiromi was just a spy that turned informant for two very powerful demons that captured her. What could she have done to warrant such treatment and obsession from a demon mind switcher?"

This had been bugging her since the story behind the earrings was told. She reached up then and fingered the earrings that now adorned her ears. They would protect her as long as she wore them, but she still worried about her friends. It wasn't easy to take the earrings out for they looked in and out of themselves to make sure that they didn't fall off. And in order to protect her friend she would have to not wear them and risk being taken over herself.

"Those are good questions," Inane said with a nod, before breaking out into a grin. "You know what? We should contemplate them together tonight! We can meet up at my home and have a girl's night! Just the two of us." Hika stared at the girl in surprise. Inane's laughter broke through to her though and the half-demon couldn't help but smile in return.

"I can't tonight. Charlie's family invited mine over for dinner and we picked tonight. How about tomorrow or tomorrow night?" Hika asked, tilting her head to the side as she grinned at the human.

"That's fine with me. Tomorrow it is! I'll come by your place tomorrow morning," Inane said before waving down to someone below. "Which brings me to another topic I wanted to bring up with you," Inane's eyes glinted evily and she had an impish smile on her face that worked Hika almost as much as when Night brought Roger the giant poisonous spider out.

"You and Charlie," Inane began, "it may not be obvious to him, but you like him don't you?"

Hika nearly fell out of the window when Inane asked her question. Her cheeks became a bright pink that gave Inane all of the answers she could possibly want. Hika looked down at her lunch as Inane started to talk excitedly about how they were going to have to come up with a plan to get Charlie to notice Hika's feelings for him.

Hika was about to say that she thought he already knew when the man in question entered the room. Hika's eyes met those blue ones of the elemental and she froze—her words caught in her throat. Even, it seemed, Inane sensed that it was time for silence for she fell silent to watch how they reacted to each others prescreens.

Charlie navigated the classroom to stand between the two women. Hika's eyes flicked from Charlie to Inane for the briefest moment before she dragged her gaze away so that she looked out the window again. Charlie watched the demon sit there and blush, before turning his gaze on Inane who seemed completely fascinated with the floor. Should he…?

"Hika, I heard you made the track team. Congratulations. Inane, Kuronue is looking for you. Something about lunch plans?" Charlie relayed. It didn't take anything more than that and Inane was rushing out of the room, before stopping and looking back inside.

"Don't forget Hika—tomorrow bright and early!" inane said as she rushed from the room.

There was silence after that until Hika finished her food. Then she packed it away and got back up to sit in the window sill. She was surprised that sitting there brought her to eye level with Charlie who had neared so that there was less than a foot between them. Hika grinned and took the moment without hesitation. She placed a gentle, searching kiss on his lips. When she pulled away, she pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear nervously without much effect since it just seemed to fall forward again.

"You've just been so shy lately that I wanted to know if you regretted them," Hika explained to the grinning fool.

"No, but every time I was over your father was always within ear or eyeshot. I didn't want him to murder me so soon is all," Charlie explained with a laugh.

"Oh," Hika replied, feeling like she was the fool this time. It had never occurred to her. After all, her father hadn't been a part of her life since she was the age of ten. She was more used to her mother being the one to watch out for.

"Oh," Charlie replied knowingly, before gently reaching up and brushing light fingers down her cheek. "So I will see you around four? Dinner's at five, but mother wanted to meet and greet with your parents beforehand."

"Four it is then. Can't keep the hosts waiting, now can we?" Hika said before getting caught off guard. Charlie had leaned forward, looped his left arm around her waist, and kissed her. It was not one of the shy kisses either. She looped her arms around the young man's neck and relished in the kiss. It was just like the one they had shared in her room three nights past.

The kiss lasted a good minute before he pulled away, though his arm remained around her waist to keep her from falling out the window. Hika was smiling like an idiot and glad that he held her for she could very easily have fallen out of the window at that moment. They stayed like this until the bell that released them from school rang. Parting ways resulted in another set of hot, passionate kisses that left Hika with a grin the size of the planet on her face.

The whole way home she smiled and kept smiling when her good-for-nothing father attacked her to see if she could keep her wings hidden under pressure. When she threw the older man into a tree, he bowed down and let the young woman go about getting ready for dinner. The next three hours went like this: a happy Hika would keep her wings hidden while someone from her family would attack her as she got ready.

Eventually they—Tyali, Noki, and their daughter—found themselves walking up to the front door of Charlie's house at 4:11 pm. Haki had changed from her school uniform into a pair of her nicer jeans and a gold on black button up shirt that was left open to reveal a gold tank. She had used two silver clips to keep her bangs out of her eyes. Each clip hosted a small red rose.

Tyali wore a dress that stopped just below her knees. Matching her daughter a tad, the dress was made of gold material with hand stitched black designs over it. Her husband was the most casual of the group in clothing. A pair of plain black jeans and a red button up shirt with a pair of black bat wings printed on the back adorned his body as he wrapped a loving hand around his wife's waist.

A woman of about forty-five opened the door and gushed as she invited the group in. "Charlie said there would be five of you," she said when she had welcomed and directed everyone to the living room.

"Aunt's Takji and Night have a date." Haki explained, "They weren't expecting an initiation since they weren't really blood relatives."

"Oh, well I'll just have to send some of the desert home with you," the woman said before starting to pay attention more to the parents of the young girl than Hika herself. Hika sat there nervously until she felt she didn't have to worry about her parents blundering up and mentioning demons. Then she excused herself and went to find Charlie.

What she found instead was Charlie bent over a desk showing Kuronue how to do some piece of math homework. The three seemed to stop what they were doing and stare at each other. Hika had done such a good job of staying away from the human Kuronue that day that she had forgotten that he may come over that evening to hang out with Charlie.

"Sorry," she said with a smile, "I just couldn't stand the gossiping that our mothers are doing. Hello Kuronue." She walked into the room and went over to look at the problem that they were working on. Making a disgusted face, she looked away and went and sat in the window that not a week before Charlie had climbed out to see her in his tree.

"I needed help with a math problem," Kuronue admitted, taking note of how she had spent just enough time next to him to see the problem and not a second more. He still wanted to talk to her but couldn't figure out a way to do it.

"I saw," Hika said with a sweet, meaningless smile.

It was then that Charlie moved over and kissed her cheek. Right there. In front of Kuronue. Hika blinked and looked at Charlie as he looked at her. Her heart pounded and she smiled sweetly at him, leaning in and kissing him on his cheek before looking back out the window, a blush mantling her cheeks. However, her eyes met with Kuronue's for a moment and she couldn't help but notice a flicker of confusion and pain before acceptance.

"So Inane wasn't making up romance stories when she said that you two were keeping a romance secret," Kuronue said, the moment vanishing and he smiled


	11. Chapter 11

Note from author: HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE :D I know this is a day too early, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to post it tomorrow. You might get another if I get enough creativity which, by the fact that I was able to post two chapters to my new fanfiction 'Time to Choose Draco' (A Draco Fanfiction about a young girl that gets blackmailed by Draco after he finds out something secret about her) and this in the last two days, I may just do. :D HAPPY NEW YEARS TO YOU ALL!~ ROSEY

Chapter 11

Hika walked slowly through the forest, her eyes searching the darkness around her. The rest of the night had gone quickly after Kuronue had found out about the relationship Charlie and Hika had managed to forge. Kuronue had left quickly after that and had not stayed for dinner which made Charlie's mother worry. Dinner started quickly and ended equally as quick, but the way that Kuronue had acted stayed with her.

First he had wanted to speak with her and then she couldn't get away quick enough. What was on his mind? She growled and spun to the east and began to run. She ran until she got tired and slowed. Her wings stretched out behind her and fluttered. They wanted to fly but she knew that it would not work. Closing her wings with a quick slap, she moved off again before stopping, her back going ridged.

Footsteps were behind her and heading her way. Because of this, she slid behind a tree and waited. What other human would go be out there at this late hour? When the footsteps stopped, she peaked out and froze.

Kuronue stood in the clearing to her left, illuminated greatly by the moon that was rising over them. He looked like a dark angel waiting for a dark god to come and take him from his earth. She caught her breath and then stepped out. She really was worried about the young man. Everything that had happened seemed to be destroying his safe life that he had had before she had shown up.

Kuronue turned and looked at her in surprise and then looked away back at the darkness. "You shouldn't be out here this late. The demon might attack, especially if you are alone," he told her as he waited.

"I have the earrings. He won't be able to control me," the young half-demon commented as she moved to stand next to him. She joined him in staring out into the darkness before she turned her gaze up to the sky.

"You were avoiding me at school, why?"

"You avoided me for three days. Inane and Charlie visited but you didn't," answered the young woman.

"I didn't want to bother you while you were training," he pointed out softly, joining her in looking up.

"Liar," she accused.

There was silence for several moments while they stared up at the sky, each with their own thoughts. When the silence grew too much for the young woman she turned and looked straight at Kuronue.

"You remembered it too, didn't you? How the old Kuronue gave the earrings to my grandmother? I wasn't the only one was I?" she whispered.

Her words reached Kuronue's ears easily but he didn't answer right away. He was still staring up at the sky like it might hold the truth to life. When he couldn't think of anything inspirational to say he only nodded. Hika turned to look back up at the sky, feeling her heart leap and calm with the change of focal point.

"That was a long time ago, don't you agree?" Kuronue finally asked.

"It was my past life and yours as well, so yes, it was a long time ago." She glanced over at him as she spoke before looking back up. Silence echoed out again, this time for a lot longer than the previous silence had taken.

"You do know that—"

"I don't want to sound rude—"

They both stopped and looked at each other and couldn't help but share a smile. Kuronue motioned for her to go first.

"I don't want to sound rude, but I didn't want to be here with you. I was perfectly happy back in demon world. I mean, I'm glad I'm here since I met Charlie and the rest of you, but," Hika hesitated looking back up. "I didn't know anything about you being there. It was all set up by Lord Koenma and my parents and Kurama. I had no choice here. I only found out that they had made plans like this the day before Inane got attack."

"I know. After you stormed out, Night gave your mother a rather long lecture on keeping it from you for so long. She had been under the impression that you knew all along what they were aiming for. The spider came out and terrorized your mother for a while I think," Kuronue said with a laugh as he remembered the scene—the normally stoic Tyali had jumped up on the couch and thrown anything she could get her hands on at the spider that darted in and out towards her until the lecture from Night had finished.

"I bet mother was ecstatic to have that happen," Hika joined him in laughter as she imagined a scene that was similar to what had happened. The uncomfortable air between the two seemed to be slowly evaporating as they spoke, and Hika liked that.

Kuronue coughed to clear his throat and looked down at the ground. "What I was going to say was that I hope you don't think that anything will happen because these memories are coming back to me. It is the past. One cannot relive life and believe that it will be a repeat of the last. There will never be the same situations that they had—Hiromi and Kuronue I mean," he explained as he frowned. "I don't want you to go and hope that just because I'm remembering things means that my feelings for Inane will change. I love Inane, and I don't feel like I could ever love you. You aren't the same as Hiromi was, from the little I remember. I don't want you to be though. I like you as a friend the way you are. I'm also glad that you helped Charlie remember that life can be full of love as well as knowledge. I haven't seen him as happy as he has been in the past few days in a long time."

Hika looked away from him and smiled before she felt herself start to tip backwards from all the staring at the stars. A hand placed itself on her back and she looked over at Kuronue. He held her so that she could still look up at the sky, a look she couldn't quiet identify in his eyes. Hika righted herself and then slipped down to lay and stare up so that she was at no danger of toppling over.

"That is kind of what I had been thinking Kuronue anyway. I mean, with me and Charlie. I'm not sure about love, but I really like him a lot. I don't think it was fair of my parents and Koenma to put us in this situation when we are our own people, not the people of our pasts," Hika agreed with a nod. Kuronue, feeling the fool for still standing, joined her to lie on the grass next to her, his hands supporting his head.

"Do you mind if we just forget the past?" Kuronue asked, getting a startled look from Hika. "I don't mean magically forget it, or really forget it either, because it shapes up and is a large part of why we are getting attacked right now. What I mean is, whatever we remember about the old Kuronue and Hiromi, and we won't act on it like it is a part of us. It's a story of people that we used to be that we should keep in mind,"

"But that's all it is. Any emotions that we felt back then are dead, as the bodies that held those emotions are?" Hika guessed, a smile forming on her lips. "I like your way of thinking Kuronue. I really like your way of thinking."

"I know," Kuronue said smugly only to get a hard elbow to the ribs which eventually got both of them to start laughing as he defended himself by elbowing her in return.

"So, starting tomorrow, if we remember anything at all, we keep it to ourselves and focus on the future so that we won't do anything to hurt Charlie and Inane?" Kuronue propositioned.

"Agreed, starting tomorrow, we will be Hika Shiroibara and Kuronue of the Future. There is no Hiromi and Kuronue the Bat Demon but in our memories," the girl said as she looked over at Kuronue who had turned to stare at her.

"Starting tomorrow," he muttered in an almost trance like way as he turned to his side and leaned in. Their eyes locked. They were both remembering the stable kiss and even though they wanted to remain just friends and 'forget', they couldn't forget the passion that kiss had held. Hika started to feel her heart pound in her chest as they neared. Kuronue stopped an inch from her and closed his eyes. Swallowing, he ducked his head and brushed his lips across hers.

Electricity shot through both of them and they stared at each other. They both knew the dangerous game they played for they saw the consequences clearly. If either of them slipped up at this point, all those promises to go their separate ways would mean nothing. This time when Kuronue leaned in, Hika turned her face away.

"We shouldn't have done that," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

Kuronue rolled back over to where he had laid a moment before, a forearm going to lay across his eyes. "You are right. We shouldn't have."

"Starting tomorrow that will be part of the past lives," Hika said looking up at the sky as a tear leaked down the left side of her safe. Thankfully that was on the opposite side of her face that he couldn't see.

"Thank you for understanding Hika," Kuronue whispered.

"Thank you for not putting me in a situation that could have become nuclear," she replied and closed her eyes.

Both of them fell into their own thoughts and soon parted without a word of goodbye. That clearing would hold what they said within itself until the day they died. No one but the wind and the trees would know of what happened, and they were both determined to forget the kiss and how it had sent shivers up and down both of their bodies. It never happened.


	12. Chapter 12

**Note: Now, I have a confession to make. I have mixed up a name in this story so far. In Chapter 9 when done from the Demon's point of view I put 'Lord Ethan'. Well, it's supposed to be Lord Edmund. Silly me for making such a mistake no? Well, for any of you that have read all my stories you'll know that Ethan was actually another male character from my butterfly chronicles and that is why Edmund became Ethan in my mind and in the story. xD Should I make this mistake again, just to warn you it's supposed to be Edmund not Ethan. Thank you, ROSEY**

Chapter 12

The next morning Hika awoke bright and early. She lay in bed and thought about the last week and sighed. She was remembering all the kisses she had received form Charlie before she stiffened and thought of the brief yet exotic tasting one she had shared with Kuronue the night before. Slamming that door shut quickly, she pushed herself from her bed and went about getting ready for the rest of the day. After all, she and Inane had decided to have a girl's day out.

She was in the kitchen making a set of lunches when the front door opened and Inane's clear voice flew through the otherwise quiet house. Hika put the knife she was carrying down and peeked out the door of the kitchen down the hall towards the front door, "In the kitchen Inane," she called before ducking back in and finishing the food making.

When Inane joined the half-demon, the young woman found two small boxes of food each with a bow—one black and one green. Inane's eyes widened and she gave Hika an approving look. "Some of your cooking for today's meal? Fabulous! I never got to tell you but the lunches you made us on Tuesday were absolutely delicious," Inane said which made Hika smile with pride as she washed her hands and the utensils she had used to make the food.

"I'm glad you like it. So what are our plans for the day? We never really got to decide what we were going to do," Hika asked with a smile as she put the knife away in its proper place.

"Well first I was thinking that maybe we could go and get manicures and pedicures and then meander our way back here and we could hang out for a while," Inane said joyfully before turning her head to look at the door leading to the front hallway. Hika blinked and looked up as well. Someone was knocking on the front door and summoning one of the household to answer it.

The house was empty besides the two girls. Tyali and Noki had gone out together as had Night and Takji. Hika frowned and slowly went to the front door. They were not expecting anyone there on that Sunday. When she got to the door and opened it, the young woman stood face to face with a young man that had a pair of bat wings and the same black hair and blue eyes as Hika did.

Inane stood behind the young woman, staring at the male reflection of Hika. There was a moment of awkward silence before Inane broke it with a soft cough. "Hika, a friend of yours?" she asked gently. The young man had turned his gaze to Inane and was appraising her with approving eyes.

"So it is safe to assume that you are one of the humans that father said had found out about us demons," the young man said before pushing his way past Hika and taking Inane's hand and raising it to his lips. "The pleasure of meeting you is all mine, mademoiselle. I am Ryota Yutorio Shiroibara, son of Tyali Yutorio and Noki Shiroibara."

Inane was blinking rapidly as she blushed and watched the young man that held her hand to his lips. Hika was still staring out the doorway. She had heard her mother talking about a Ryota but she had never seen him herself. She turned to look at her friend and this new young man and simply stared. When Ryota noticed, he turned to grin at the other girl and took her hand and raised it to his lips in the same gesture in which he had used with Inane.

"And what is the name of such a beautiful creature as you? Are you a friend of my parents and my sister? By the way where is that girl, I haven't seen her in almost two hundred years and she doesn't even come to say hello?" he asked, his eyes glittering with mischief that slowly turned to confusion as Hika yanked her hand away before his lips could touch her flesh and startled out of her shock at this strange young man by Inane's laughter that rang out as he spoke.

Hika refused to look at him as she tried to fight from laughing as well. "You," she started to stay before stopping. She was trying oh so hard not to laugh. She ended up snickering a bit however. "I _am_ Hika, you giant dolt." She finally managed to get out with laughter ripping through the words. Ryota stared at her, shocked before taking a closer look at her.

"Well, of course you are! A beauty like you could only be related to me!" he said just as their parents came running up the sidewalk to see the situation.

"Ryota! You weren't supposed to arrive until next weekend!" Noki yelled, looking worriedly between the two girls and the young man. "Please tell me you didn't a fool of yourself already?"

"We were going to tell you Hika, but like your father said, he wasn't supposed to arrive until next weekend," Hika's mother was saying at the same time.

"I got tired of waiting. It wasn't fair that Hika got to run around at a high school with all sorts of humans and I got stuck with a bunch of unruly demon thieves that wanted to go on raids!" Ryota said exasperatedly.

"Who is this idiot? He says he's your son." Hika asked.

"I'm your older brother," Ryota said.

"He's your older brother by twenty years," Tyali said at the same time before smiling at her first born. "You two didn't ever get along so we decided that when Noki went off on his own he'd take your brother and raise him and I'd take you."

"What mother is trying to say is that we literally almost killed each other when you were ten and I was thirty," Ryota explained to a gaping Hika.

All three of the Shiroibaras were looking at Hika as if she was supposed to turn around and accept this without a bit of problem. She opened her mouth several times to say something before turning and stalking to the kitchen. She grabbed the food boxes, her bag, and the bag that Inane had left in there before stomping back off. The young half-demon then made her wings disappear, and then marched out of the house silently past her newly re-discovered older brother and out the front gate where she waited for Inane to join her. However when Inane did, Ryota was with her, his own wings masked into invisibility.

"I don't care who you are, go away," Hika said as politely as she could as she glared daggers at him as he smiled down at Inane. "And she has a boyfriend so you can forget whatever it is you are thinking."

"Your mother wanted us to show him around town. I thought it would be fun and would give you and Ryota time to get to know one another. We can do a girl's day out again some other time," Inane said cheerfully as she took her bag from Hika and slung it up on her shoulder. "And just think if we go shopping, he can carry all the bags." This last bit was said in a mock whisper.

"Aye, I do wonders when it comes to hauling bags around," Ryota said, sticking his head into their little group with a big grin.

Hika had been looking so forward to this day where it was only Inane and her, and she could talk about things that weren't overheard by someone that might report back to her parents. Taking a deep breath and holding it for a moment to give her time to think it over, she released it and turned away from him. "Fine," she said grudgingly and started to walk down the road.

The rest of the day went relatively hassle free until around lunch time. Inane had led them to a beautiful part with a hill in the middle that overlooked the city. This was where they were sitting when Inane got up and rushed off, saying something about having to rush to use the restroom. Ryota was stretched out next to Hika allowing the sun to sink into his skin. Hika was slowly eating her food.

When she couldn't eat any more, she held it out to the young man and sighed, "Hungry?"

The food was gone ten seconds later. She blinked several times at the empty box which had been taken and then replaced without any food in it. "I guess so," she said with a small smile before she packed up the food box and looked out over the city.

"Hika," Ryota said softly, brining her attention back to him.

"What?"

"You know I'm only here to act as your shadow."

"Because of the Demon right?"

"Yeah," he said, pushing himself to sit next to her, supporting himself with a palm placed flatly on the ground behind him.

"Ryota?"

"What?"

"Why did we try to kill each other when I was ten?" Hika asked, looking over at him. It was so long ago that she really couldn't remember it. She didn't even really remember him ever being in her life. There was silence for several minutes before Ryota answered.

"You had heard the story of Grandmother Hiromi for the first time all the way through. From beginning to end and were so scared that it was going to happen to you—that you would awaken one day not able to control your body and would kill all your friends and family. You woke up in the middle of the night crying and had decided to come and seek comfort from me. Only you didn't know back then never to sneak up on others," he told her, a sad note to his voice. Hika winced.

"I thought you were attack me—I didn't even think that it might be you because I'd just woken up when the door opened and shut. Da and Ma I guess had locked the door to their room for … recreational purposes. I thought that maybe someone was trying to sneak in to kill me. I was real paranoid back then. Yoko made sure of that. I waited until you had gotten onto the bed before I struck. I didn't know it was you—I was befuddle from sleep and my senses hadn't fully awaken,"

"I ended up nearly tearing your heart out before I realized that it was you. You kept crying and saying that 'I'm not possessed! I swear Ryo I'm not possessed!' but I didn't hear you. Someone told me that after I was brought out of the battle rage that had taken over," Ryota said, his throat thick with guilt.

"After that I stopped going near you. I was afraid that I'd hurt you again. Da and Ma finally figured that it would be better if they locked away your memories of that day and the story and that I go with Da out of the castle so as not to ruin the memory removal process. I trained the rest of the time to control my battle rages and to make sure that I wouldn't flip out as I did. Hika, I owe you so much for what I did to you that night. I want to repay you for that. I want to protect my little sis like I was meant to all those years," Ryota finished, not able to look at the young woman.

Hika had listened through all that, her mouth slightly open in awe. She had always wondered why she had a scar right over her heart. No one had ever told her when she'd asked and so she just chalked it up to a training mistake. Ryota's story though triggered something in her and she launched herself at him.

The slightly older man flinched away as if expecting a flurry of blows but instead found a young girl clinging to him as if he was the only thing keeping her afloat in an ocean. Memories of the night slowly flew at her. Terror of being possessed, fear that she was possessed and that was why Big RyoRyo was trying to claw at her heart and pull it out, sadness that she hadn't been able to resist the possession. They all came flooding back to her as if she was that small girl of ten.

"RyoRyo," she whimpered and held tight to her brother who held her equally as tight.

"Lil Hika," he murmured and rocked her back and forth as she cried into his shirt. She told him everything that had happened, letting it all just fly out at him. She knew, deep in her heart, that she didn't have to hold anything back in front of this man. That this man was the big brother that would protect her no matter what happened and no matter what she said.

Inane found them that way when she returned. Hika crying out about how it wasn't fair that she was having to pay for the crimes of her past life and Ryota making quiet shushing sounds and saying that it would all be all right. Inane watched and tears started to form in her eyes. The scene was beautiful in a way. It was like seeing a family that was shattered being finally put back together. There was no romance involved that made this scene before her beautiful—just raw emotion being released that any person with a heart could see and feel.

She made a wave to Ryota to show that she was just going to leave, before grabbing her bag and leaving the siblings. She knew in her own heart that Hika would be in good hands and she needed this time alone with a family member that hadn't schemed against her.

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**Confession from author: I cried a little when writing the story about Hika and Ryota. ;o; RyoRyo is officially my favorite OC character next to Chime. ROSEY**


	13. Chapter 13

Notes from the author: I am so terribly sorry my dear readers for my long absence without anything to show for it. First off I've been having a terrible time with school and the like. Especially since Monday through Wednesday it more or less from sunrise to sunset. This has meant that I have little to no time to write because the rest of the week I'm catching up with homework or working with the club I've joined. But here, I will repay you with a beautiful chapter—at least I hope so, since I'm writing this note before I actually start writing or even thinking about the chapter. xD Haha! Rosey is back people, and she'll try her best. –ROSEY

Chapter 13—Ryota Meets Charlie

Weeks passed. Hika grew closer and closer to newly found older brother while making sure that he never ran into Charlie. Soon a month had passed and there had been no activity from the Demon that had attacked. It was like having wounded Hika's wing, it was going to wait and attack when they least expected. The girl was even able to keep her brother and her boyfriend from running into each other seeing as she wasn't sure how that meeting was going to end up.

Hika was laughing. For the first time in weeks, the girl was fully relaxed as she hung out with Kuronue, Charlie and Inane. They hadn't been attacked. No one that they knew had been interfered with mentally. Lord Koenma, though Kurama, had informed them that they still didn't know the identity of the demon, but they were still looking and it might take some more time.

Hika was teasing Charlie about his reluctance to eat one of her demon world recipes—chicken marinated in a demon herb that was supposed to give one excessive energy. One could already see the effects it was having on Kuronue, who was tapping the table with more energy than he knew what to do with. Inane had refused to eat it simply on the concept that they didn't know how humans and demons would react. She would try it the next time if Kuronue didn't erupt from the experiment. But Charlie, being an elemental, had no logical excuse to say not to her cooking.

"Stop," Charlie said with a laugh. He grabbed the hand that Hika was using to hold a piece of the chicken up for him to take a bite and held it out of the way as he swooped in for a kiss. Hika eagerly complied. She was surprised about how addicted to his kisses she had become. Each seemed brighter than the next, as if she stepped closer to the flame every time they touched. She wrapped her free hand around his neck and returned the kiss before pulling away and plopping the chicken into her mouth.

"Hika?"

The young bat demon blinked and looked around. Her eyes landed on Ryota as she bent her head backwards. She couldn't help but laugh as she fell backwards off the bench she'd been sitting on. It seemed so humorous. Maybe it was the energy chicken. Maybe it was because she was tired of being on edge all the time and just wanted to have some fun with her friends and boyfriend.

"Hey Ryo," she said as she pushed herself up from the table, brushing the back of her skirt to get the dust off it as she sat back down next to Charlie. "What are you doing here? I thought we weren't meeting up until after track practice."

"I was worried since it was taking so long. Normally it doesn't take this long," Ryo said, stuffing his hands into his pants pockets as he watched the girl blink a few times and then look for her phone in her bag. She cursed, bringing the attention of Kuronue, who had been kissing Inane rather passionately, back to the situation.

"We missed practice Kuronue," she said. The two of them had been doing a good job of staying out of any situation that might lead to another midnight forest rendezvous. Despite waking up occasionally from an odd memory here and there, they had been surprisingly able to put the past away. Neither of them would admit that when they were racing against each other that occasionally they felt a tad bit of admiration that bordered love that they would push back and become even more determined to ignore the other except in a friendly sort of way.

"That'll spread some rumors, except that Inane and I missed our club as well if yours is already over," Charlie said, blinking up at the man that he had heard so much about and yet had not meet. "Hello, I'm Charlie." He stuck his hand out to the older brother of his girlfriend.

Ryota looked down at the hand offered before looking up at Charlie's face. His eyes lingered on the sealing tattoo around his neck. If the older man had fur he would have bristled a little. Instead the man took the teenager's hand and gave it a shake, the pressure on Charlie's hand increasing slowly. "Ryota, Hika's older brother."

"I've heard a lot about you," Charlie said with an incline of his head, though he didn't take his eyes away from Ryota's, taking the increased pressure on his hand as a challenge to see how long the younger man could keep up. A part of him that was not all nice and happy surged up, accepting the challenge. It was much like the part that allowed him to take charge of the situation when he was alone with Hika. "I'm Hika's boyfriend."

Hika looked between the whole males as their knuckles whitened as their grip tightened on each other's hand. She could hear a snicker coming from Kuronue and Inane as they watched the scene as well. She wasn't quite sure what was so funny about this? They were trying to break each other's hand! Fear for the human body that Charlie was in control of hit Hika as she rose to break them up.

"Are you now? Since when, may I ask?" Ryota asked before Hika could stop him.

"Since about the time that you showed up from what I've heard," Charlie answered, rising to be level with the bat demon.

Hika looked at Inane who just shook her head and motioned for Hika to sit back down quietly. 'Let 'em, it's interesting,' the other girl mouthed. Hika stared at her friend and slowly sat back down. She had to admit that seeing Charlie stand up in front of the others was a wonderful change, though she personally liked saying that that part of him was hers.

"And why do you date my sister?"

Hika felt her cheeks start to brighten as she looked down at her laps. Why indeed? That was a good question. She had never really thought about it. She'd started to fall for him; he'd expressed interest in her. They had simply started to date after that. Why was it so important to others that there be a reason? But the other side of her wanted to know as well why there were so many questions that others came up with that she hadn't thought about that were worth being answered.

"Why wouldn't I want to date Hika? She's fun. She's got such a way of looking at things that it makes one think harder about what one is doing. I haven't laughed as hard as I have in the last month and a half before I met her. She's always worried that her friends are hurt or in trouble. She has this way about her that makes one believe that she could really defeat that demon that is after her," Charlie said in a calm manner that made one think that yes, he really did have all those reason to want to date her. "In short, the woman you call your sister and I call my girlfriend has overcome more than most women her age and for that I find her to be extremely interesting. I hope that by dating her I can get to know her better and see just what makes her tick the way she does."

Ryota blinked a few times and then frowned. "Why do you have a binding tattoo? What kind of creature are you?" At this question, Charlie hesitated, looking over at Hika as if to ask for confirmation that this was really a question that Ryota would ask. Charlie wasn't going to spill all his secrets to just anyone that might be controlled by the Demon. That would be the worst thing to happen to them. It was really suspicious since the Demon had not attacked recently.

Hika looked up at her brother and waited a few moments before nodding. She couldn't sense anything wrong with her brother, though she understood Charlie's hesitation. There was really no way to know if someone was controlled except for the way they acted and Ryota was acting like a concerned older brother.

"I am fire," Charlie said shortly as if forming a one line riddle, his grip on Ryota's hand not slacking one bit. Ryota watched the young man again for several moments before pulling his own hand away, letting it fall to his side silently as he continued to watch the fire elemental.

"Hika, we should get going. We have training and there is someone moving into our house that we are supposed to meet," Ryota said before looking at Inane and Kuronue and blinked a few times as if seeing them for the first time that afternoon. "Miss Inane, it is a pleasure to see you again. And who are you?"

"Kuronue, Inane's boyfriend and Charlie's best friend. Pleasure to finally meet you Ryota. Hika's been going on and on about what you are like and we've kept asking when we could get to meet you and she just kept saying soon," Kuronue said and raised a hand in greeting, not wanting to be given the same treatment as Charlie had been given.

Hika hopped up from her seat and smiled at her friends. She had completely forgotten that she had been supposed to meet up with her brother—just like she had forgotten the time as she had watched Kuronue eat the chicken and Charlie refuse to try it. "Sorry guys, I do have to go. I promised this big brute that I'd beat his skinny butt," Hika joked, winking at them as she packed up the 'energy chicken' and stuffed it into her bag.

"As if you could. You say that every afternoon and I still beat you," Ryota said with a laugh as he took the girl's bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Oh shut up Ryo," the girl said before leaning up and sharing a sweet kiss with Charlie that lasted a few seconds before she pulled away. She smiled up at Charlie and then waved to Inane and Kuronue, her eyes lingering only a second longer on Kuronue before she turned and skipped after her brother that had, with a heavy puff of exaggeration, started to walk away.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14—Edmund

The rest of the afternoon, Hika spent with her brother. The question bugged her though—who was going to move in this time to their house? Sure it was large enough to take up to twenty more people—as it at one point done in the history of her bloodline. But who else could be coming to join them? All of Night and Takji's group had gone back to working for Lord Koenma as guards of the Vault and it wasn't like they could just take a random vacation from work. It couldn't have been any of the demons from Yoko's crew. They were all too demon like—scales, fins, tails, you name it—for human world detail.

As Ryota had predicted, he still beat her in their training sessions. He would have creamed her had they been willing to let their wings be their way of fighting, but Hika was still unable to fly because of the cut in her wing. While the tear was slowly closing it was closing at the rate of a regular bat. It would take several more months, if not a year or two for her wing to be in one piece again and for her to start to learn to fly again.

But that did not mean that the girl did not fight her hardest against her brother. She wasn't going to be able to call a time out when the Demon attacked, even if she was outrageously tired. The girl was able to hold out a bit longer and she thought that it had something to do with the energy chicken she had eaten on the way to their training session. An hour after their battle had started she was finally pinned face first into one of the indoor training hall walls with her brother poking a sharp dagger at the middle of her back. She could tell that he was impressed because of the way he breathed. She had never heard him gasping for breath before during any of their other training sessions and for that she felt ecstatically excited, even if she hadn't won. It meant that she was giving the man a work out which meant that the girl was getting better.

Hika hadn't been a slouch when she had first gotten to the human world. She had trained for thirty minutes every day which didn't count the endless flying and missions that she went on. She'd just been proven to be weak after her brother had decided to show up and teacher her how to fight 'the proper way' as he so affectionately put it. That she could keep up with him for an hour was impressive to her and made her feel ready to face whatever the demon threw at her and her friends and family.

"Very good Hika," her brother said after releasing her and putting the dagger away in the sheath that had been dropped somewhere during their fight. "With a little more work you'll be doing great. I do not see how you can keep up with everything you are doing. School work, track meets, track practice, hanging out with your friends, my training and the training that mother puts you through, not to mention the runs through the forest you always take before you go to bed."

"It is called time management brother. You should invest in it," Hika teased as she started to stretch and do cool down techniques so that she didn't get cramps or sore muscles afterwards. "So, you haven't spoken once about who this new housemate it. Who is it? Do I know them? Were they a friend of yours from when you were training with our father?"

"From what I've been told he was a friend of Hiromi's that used to work with her. He's been given a vacation of sorts for the next few months to add another layer of protection on this house. Koenma is fearful since the demon hasn't attacked recently," Ryota explained and smiled at her, "He's some kind of demon bird or something. All I know is he's supposed to have been one of the people that tried to get Hiromi to leave after she was captured by Yoko Kurama and Kuronue. By the way," Ryota put the weapons they'd fetched during their frights away and turned on the girl. "Did I hear wrong or did one of your friends say that his name was Kuronue?"

"You heard right," Hika said, suddenly becoming wary. She had yet to figure out if her brother was working with her mother and 'Aunts' on the 'Get Hika and Kuronue together' plan that they had going. "He's Kuronue's reincarnation, but he doesn't remember much; the odd memory here or there. Why? Does it matter?"

"Not really, it's just cool getting to meet the legendary Kuronue is all. After all he was like a saint in our household up until you got that nightmare and we all decided that you didn't need to hear any more of those stories about the past," Ryota said with a shrug and a smile. "He doesn't look like much though, for someone that was reincarnated from such an amazing demon and all. He's got a weird energy that I can't quite place, but I suppose that's what happens when one reincarnates against Spirit World's say so." During this, he really had shown little to no acknowledgement that he'd known any of it before, or that he knew about anything about a plot.

Hika relaxed a little, sure that her brother hadn't wanted his little sister to date anyone simply to protect her. After all he'd reacted like Charlie was some kind of abdominal snow monster or something like that that wanted to eat Hika. "By the way, what was up with the way you treated Charlie earlier? You've heard me talk about Charlie before." Hika asked, punching her brother lightly on the arm as she led the way out of the training hall back towards the rest of the house. The training hall had been divided from the house by a long enclosed walkway that gave a sense of walking through water because the glass was a light blue and had a texture like old stain glass—rough yet smooth at the same time.

"A brother's got to protect his little sister can't he? And every other time you've talked about Charlie you never let it out that you were dating him Hika. What was I supposed to do? Say oh Hi, it's nice to meet you. I really don't' care what you do with my sister? I gotta do what an older brother's gotta do." Ryota said with a laugh as he slung an arm around the shorter girl's shoulders. "Don't worry about it. He seems like a nice guy. But should he ever do anything to you. Come to me. I want first crack at him." For this comment, Ryota received a brutal punch to the gut from the girl who walked off as he doubled over in pain.

Hika was just leaving the shower after a nice relaxing shower that she ran into the new housemate. The young man that she saw before her in the hall looking completely lost was slightly tall, though not too much so. His blond-brown hair was combed out of his eyes and at the same time seemed trim and proper. His clothing was rather modern-a pair of Wrangler and a button up black shirt with a small insignia on the cuffs in the form of a flying white bird that fit to his body just perfectly.

He turned his attention to the girl that had just left the bathroom, his attention landing on the fact that she stood there with a towel surrounding her body, but not much else. It fully covered her body but at the same time gave a sensual feeling to the scene. He opened his mouth to say something before stopping and simply smiling, averting his dark gaze from her body.

"Hika, right? I'm Edmund. I know Hiromi when she was alive. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said, while his gaze was averted. No matter how many centuries went by, Edmund had been raised during the height of male gentleman requirements. No matter who the young woman before him was he would do right by her, until his plan was complete. He would get this young woman on his side one way or another. She was Hiromi in Edmund's mind and that wouldn't change. "I heard about your predicament and thought that I'd be able to help."

"Oh, thank you," Hika said, clutching her bath towel tighter around her body. She had been under the belief that she had been alone in the house. Ryota and her parents had gone out to grab the dinner and so she had thought it would be a good time to go and clean herself off before anyone got back. She had left her clothes in her room though having only been focused on getting a nice and cool bath. The young woman smiled weakly over at him and then padded quickly across the hall to her room and closed the door behind her.

Within five minutes she was dried, dressed, and ready to face the new man that would be living with them. When she exited her room she couldn't find the man however until she left the house and went into the garden. He sat there, wings surrounding him as he seemed to meditate. A group of birds had surrounded him and were looking at him curiously. Hika giggled a little and the birds took flight. She gasped at the sight as his eyes slowly opened, the birds obscuring the view for a moment as he rose form his spot. And then the magic was gone along with the birds.

"I'm sorry, I just thought it was kind of cute, you sitting there with that bird on your head. I didn't mean to disturb you," she said before Edmund was less than a foot away. She fell silent as she looked up at the other man, her heart racing for a moment for some untold reason.

"You needn't apologize for that. Hiromi did the same thing when I first met her. You are remarkably similar to her in every way it appears. With the exception that you are a half-demon," he said with an inclination of his head, his gaze running over her body in an appraising way before he turned and left her there staring after him. "You shouldn't let your guard down so easily Miss Hika," he said and held up a hand. In it sat a lock of her hair. "The demon might attack at any moment. It would be a pity if a beauty such as yours was tarnished before its time." With that, he walked away.

Hika gaped after him and searched her head for the place which he had cut the hair from, anger knocked aside by fright. She did not like this man that had come to live with them, but she couldn't seem to put her finger on why she didn't.


	15. Chapter 15

Note from author: Nu, I haven't died. No, I haven't abandoned this story. I have simply been overwhelmed with school which ended yesterday ( the 27th of April). To make up for my long absence I have this EXTRA long chapter written up for you. Also, since I have nothing to do, more chapters are on their way. In fact I've already hand written up chapters 16-18. I just need to put them in a paragraph format and then they'll be up as well. I am so sorry for the absence: ROSEY

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><p>Chapter 15<p>

Since the day that he had stolen a piece of her hair, Hika had kept her distance from him, despite all attempts to get them to enjoy each other's company. Hika could not thrust the feeling of oddness that she felt from him no matter how much she wished she could. Instead she found herself working harder and harder with her brother and keeping herself alert to all of her surroundings almost ninety-five percent of the time. Occasionally, Hika would find Edmund staring at her over the dinner table or from the garden through a window when no one else was paying attention. Then the moment that someone else turned their attention on him he seemed to be doing something else.

But now, three weeks later she was away from the creep for a good two days. She shrugged off her school jacket as she got comfortable in the van that would take her and the rest of the track team over to the school they were going to face in the first competition of the year. She was exciting as she listened to the humans chatting around her.

Looking out the window to the left, she missed who sat next to her until the door slammed shut and she turned to find out who she was stuck with. Dark blue-purple eyes met surprised blue-gray ones. Kuronue couldn't hide the look of horror that registered on his face as they both quickly looked away.

Why was he afraid of sitting by her? She had been very good at ignoring Kuronue during the time since their forest run-in. Any memories she dreamed of, she pushed away, focusing all her romantic nature on Charlie. She hadn't noticed anything strange from Kuronue during the five weeks either. She almost wanted to believe that he'd completely forgotten about it. Apparently not-if his face told her anything.

Kuronue hadn't forgotten it. Far from it. Once a week, if not more, he found himself dreaming of her as Hiromi or of them together in the forest. He'd awaken with Hika's name on his lips and he'd want to turn over to find her there with him. But when he turned he would find no one and would remember Inane. Shame built up so quickly that when he saw Inane he would make it up to her by being overly attentive to her wants and desires.

He'd been able to ignore Hika except when they were in track and he was forced to watch the glorious woman run to her heart's content. He found himself comparing her to a freed mustang. She was sleek and fast and when she ran if her hair wasn't slipped down it flew behind her like a mane.

And now they sat next to each other for the next two hours. They ignored one another for the most part. They spoke with the others, but never with each other unless it was the occasional "sorry" when they bumped one another.

Despite this purposeful ignoring, Hika found herself looking at him occasionally with curiosity. Had he remembered anything? Was he happy with Inane? Why did she care if he was happy with Inane? Their kiss that night had been the end of an era. But if it hadn't been the end, might they have continued where they left off in their previous life? All of these questions ran through her mind whenever she looked at the young man that sat next to her. And then she would remember Charlie and quickly look away and focus on thoughts of how Charlie was to her and she'd forget about Kuronue—until the next time she found herself looking at him.

For two hours the torture continued, unabated, until they were allowed to pile out of the van into the sunlight that glared down upon them. Everyone ran to the classroom that they would be sharing as they stayed in the town for the meet. Kuronue let Hika get there first so that they would be given different sections to sleep in.

Only it didn't work out as well as he had planned. Because they were known as friends, the rest of the team had left only enough space for him to rest his own sleeping bag and backpack next to Hika. Kuronue inwardly groaned and looked at the space next to where Hika was setting up her own bag.

Unlike the other humans' sleeping bags, Hika's was of Demon World make with designs of flying bat people, a golden eyed fox and a white rose with the demonic world scenery behind them. Artfully he was spelled to put out an image of a simple black one to anyone with little to no spirit energy. Despite this, Kuronue could see it though and his worry about sleeping near her vanished. He pulled out his own and continued to get ready until it was an hour before the meet, ignoring Hika as much as possible.

"Alright people," he called over the din of the track team. "Go get changed and warmed up. Miku, Ritsu, Hika, stay behind. We have to discuss the relay run for today and the marathon tomorrow."

The three that he had told to stay looked at each other and smiled. This year, with Miku, Ritsu, Kuronue, and Hika, they planned on winning both races. The four of them were the fastest among the team and they were ready for whatever the other teams threw at them. They quickly conversed, finishing off their plans of the relay run before going and joining the rest of the team.

The races before the relay went quickly. Hika placed first or second in any race she participated in, only placing second if Kuronue was participating as well they joked about it, but the truth was that Hika let him win simply for the sake of seeing his face after he'd won. His face lit up when he won, as if the sun had slipped into it and shown from the inside out.

Finally it was time for the relay.

Hika waited at the last spot, watching as Ritsu took off at the starting place.

_You know, it is very dangerous to run with earrings on. No wonder they had you take them off._

The voice screamed through her mind, as it fought to hold onto her body. She reached up and grabbed at her head. She hadn't thought that the Demon would attack at such a time and that was why she had felt safe taking them off.

_What would happen if you lost control of your wings and they popped out here? Mass hysteria? Stoning? I'm going to put my bet on stoning. Humans are so silly sometimes._

_No! Stop!_She had to stop it from taking her over.

Miku had the baton and was tied with team 3 for first place. She was maybe five seconds from Kuronue who would take maybe fifteen to thirty seconds to get to Hika.

The pressure on her head grew as the baton was passed to Kuronue. He was on his way, taking the lead against the team three who had dropped the baton during the exchange. He was getting nearer. The pressure was growing.

_So much like your old self. You will fall to me and I'll make you kill each of these humans. Starting with that human that is so much like your old Kuronue. And then I'll take you to your family and make you kill them as well. _

She gritted her teeth and cast her eyes to Kuronue. Five, maybe ten more feet separated them. Tears started to form in her eyes. No one could outrun Kuronue. He would get the baton to her and then it was up to her to get the win. She could hear the cheering from her team over the voice that kept pestering her mind. They needed her to get that baton to the finish line.

The baton was in reach. Hika should reach out. Her mind-that of it that was still her own-screamed at her body to focus-to take the baton and run, but all that her body could do was stare at Kuronue who was yelling at her to take it.

She felt a single tear run down her cheek. That must have been a signal to Kuronue for he slapped her as the other teams caught up and their members took off.

The voice in her mind vanished and she blinked. Then she woke, grabbed the baton and ran. Her body screamed at the sudden action but on she ran.

Fifth place.

Fourth place.

Second place.

Her eyes were on the leaders, Team 1, back. She could see the finish line. The gap closed. She was neck-to-neck. Just a few more steps. Their feet hit the line at the same moment. Hika slowed and looked over at the judge's table, waiting for them to announce who the winner was. There was static for a moment.

"There will be a tie breaking ran for teams 1 and 5. Will those teams please return to their position and the other teams please exit the field. We will begin the tie breaker ran when all teams are ready."

Hika looked at the team 1 player and shrugged, giving him a look that said 'what could you do?' and a smile. She put the baton she had carried down at the start line for Ritsu to pick up when she got back to the start line from where she had been at Miku's position.

She turned just in time to see a spark in the Team 1 player's eyes before he jogged off back the way they had just came. The girl didn't like that, but put it from her mind as simple human competitiveness. Instead of jogging back, she walked, taking the chance to walk out the cramps that had started to form after the good 4 hours of stop and go running she had been involved with.

As she got to her place, she focused on putting up a mental barrier against the monster that had tried to take over her mind even though the tendrils of his-her-its power no longer tickled her mind. She had become lax in her guarding and the almost take over had frightened her.

The sound of the start went off two minutes later and Ritsu was off. Hika kept her eyes on her teammate, intent on not screwing up this time. Quickly Miku had the baton. The feet were being eaten up as the teams tied halfway to Kuronue's spot. Miku was great at short spurts of running. She would have made it to Kuronue three or four seconds before the other team if this had been her first run of the day.

"You won't win, if you want this boy to live girlie," came the other boy's voice beside her. It was, and wasn't, his voice. A crackling of power rang through the vocals, speaking of a possession.

Hika turned to look at the rival team member with astonishment. How, no, **why** did the demon want her to lose? It made no sense. Did it simply want her to fail at the one thing she loved out of the human world? If that was the case then she wouldn't stop. But at the same time, she couldn't justify letting a young man die.

"Leave the human out of this and go suck yourself," Hika finally snarled as Miku gave Kuronue the baton.

"So be it," the voice told her and sadistic smile appeared on the boy's face and he readied to ran.

If Hika played this just right, she could still win and keep the boy from hurting himself. Kuronue passed her the baton a few seconds later and she was off. She didn't show any mercy. She just ran as fast as she could.

The human kept up with her as the demon pushed him harder than a human should be pushed. Hika zoned him out, focusing slowly on the line that she needed to cross. Closer. Closer. Almost there. Her teammates cheering 'Go Hika Go!". All of it, she blocked out. Never had a race meant so much to her as it did in these few moments.

Her foot was over the line. She had won. She turned to look at the young man she had been racing against. He was blinking and looking down at the baton in his hand as if he wasn't sure how he'd gotten there.

It had been a bluff and Hika had caught it. She didn't even see or hear the outside world until Ritsu, Miku and Kuronue pulled her into a hug as pictures were snapped of the winning team.

In a state of shock, she disentangled herself from the group and walked away. She was just about to get free of the mass of humans when a shot and then screams filled the air. She spun and stared as three more shots were fired. The boy that had ran against her stumbled back, the white track shirt he wore growing red with blood as he fell back.

_I told you I'd kill him girlie. His death is on your hands now._

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Hika stood on the track. It was well after lights out-almost midnight if the moon was anything to judge by. They had taken the boy's body away quickly and covered the spot where his blood had been with new dirt so the next day's running could go on without people seeing blood as they ran.

Numbness ran through the woman as she started to jog. It was the only way she could keep from going insane. The voice kept ringing in her head.

His death is on your hands.

She quickened her pace. Over and over the words played through her mind and each time she pushed herself faster until she was running far faster than any human could.

The shots had been shot by a spectator that had been so disappointed in the loss that he snapped. At least, that was what the teachers had told the frightened students when they got up the courage to ask.

Tears were falling down her cheeks as he ran blindly. Around and around she ran, wanting to outrun the terrible sound of guilt. She didn't stop until she tripped over something on the ground and couldn't get the energy to push herself up and keep going.

"So how long are you going to stay out here?"

The voice came from just over her, but she didn't move to defend herself like her training taught her. She knew it was Kuronue without having to look. The tears were still coming down her cheeks as she finally rose. She tried to wipe them away as if it was sweat but she wasn't even fooling herself.

Kuronue, though he wanted to pull the girl against him and comfort her, only stood there and watched as she dusted herself off. When she didn't answer, he repeated his question.

"Hika, how long are you going to run and cry over an incident you had no control over?"

The tears welled up again and Hika shook her head as they spilled out. "I did have control over it," she sobbed before turning and taking off around the track again.

Kuronue watched her ran. What had she meant that she had had control over it? How could she have been in control of another person's actions?

While he could have caught up to her if he had really wished to, he waited for her to make a full lap around the track. He stepped out in front of her. Pulling her tight against his body to keep her from pulling away and running again, one arm encircled her waist and the other pulling her head against his chest.

Time seemed to slow for him as she stopped struggling to get away from him. Instead she began to sob against him, her arms going to wrap around his waist as the event during the race spilled from her lips. Kuronue winced and held her tighter against him to show as much comfort as he could.

"I should have let the other team win Kuronue," she finally sobbed. "He would still be alive if I had just let him win."

"You don't know that Hika," he whispered, "He-it-whatever the force that you are against is-they might have just killed the boy anyway. They aren't afraid of killing humans Hika-they aren't afraid of us because we have been so defensive. They want to make you crazy, just like they did to Hiram."

"I'm not going crazy!" Hika replied between a sob and a hiccup.

"You aren't? Hika you are out here running laps like a demon in the middle of the night when you should be asleep," Kuronue told her. He released her head and tilted it up by placing kind fingertips under her chin and lifting up. When she was looking up at him, he wiped a few of the tears that lingered on her cheeks away. His eyes locked with hers and he froze. He knew, deep down, that he should be letting Charlie comfort her. But after weeks of memory-dreams, he couldn't let the elemental take this chance from him. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't let it go by.

"Hika, you are going to make it through this. If you don't there will be no reason for the demon to leave any of your family alone. And it might go after Inane and Charlie."

He left her no chance to argue with what he had said. He leaned in and their lips met as a memory came unbidden to his mind.

_"Because," Kuronue started, before pausing to think over what he was going to say. Was he really going to say it? "I think that I'm starting to fall in love with you."_

_"You have to be joking." She said softly, refusing to admit that she had heard right. "You can't be serious."_

_Here was his chance to laugh and brush off what he had said and say that yes he was joking. But at the same time he couldn't bring himself to. It was out. Either she accepted it, or refused it. Either way, they could continue to work together._

_"I spoke correctly Hiromi," he answered her._

_"There is no way you can be serious. Demons don't fall in love. They can't," she exclaimed before turning and running form the room._

When he pulled from the kiss and looked down to watch her for her reaction, he couldn't help but think about the memory and how she had refused it, like he was refusing his love for her. Hika was looking up at him as if she was at a lost as to what to do with the kiss still fresh on her lips.

"We can't Kuronue. It isn't right," the young woman said, reaching up and wiping away the tears that were on her cheeks. The kiss had brought back a bit of the Hika that hated to lose and hated to cry. It had reminded her that it wasn't worth crying over something that another had done. It had brought back the woman that had sworn to take down the demon that was tormenting her. The boy's death would haunt her forever more, but she would just put it on the tab of the team when she finally found it and killed it. And then she would pay homage to the boy's death by placing the demon's head at his Spiritual Feet.

Kuronue was nodding before she had even finished her sentence. "Inane," he whispered as shame crossed his features.

"And Charlie," Hika added before slipping from his grasp. This time he didn't force her to stay against his body.

Silence filled the void between them as they met each other's gaze again. Kuronue was the first to look away. His gaze went up to the moon and he sighed heavier. "Don't stay out too late. We have a run tomorrow." With that he turned and left her there.

Hika watched him until he had entered the school again before she turned to look up at the moon as well.

"Why must life be so confusing and cruel?" she asked it before she turned and started to walk back to her starting place to begin again.

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Somewhere in the trees to the side of the track stood a man twice refused. He watched the figures separate and go their separate ways. Then the girl spoke to the moon and the man smiled.

"Because," Edmund answered, "I won't let you be happy for a third time Deshiri. Not with him at least."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

They had won the next day's marathon, leaving the town without any more incidents. Hika had remained quiet despite her realization that it wasn't completely her fault. No one was as loud as they had been on the trip to the meet however, so her silence wasn't seen as anything weird.

When the girl returned home and her family found out what had happened with the demon, their actions were as if someone had come in and cut Hika in her sleep. She locked herself away for a day in mourning for the innocent that was dead. She then opened her eyes the day after and was cold and hard to everyone but Charlie. Charlie seemed to be the only person that could get through the tough exterior that the half-demon had created around herself.

Edmund watched her continuously, not finding the occasional glare from her at all frightening like she intended them. He would only smile and go about his business. A week after she had returned from the track meet, a diary of sorts was left in her room. When she opened it, she found legible and delicate hand script in it.

_I was with Edmund today when we came upon a bat demon attempting to capture me. I had to laugh with Edmund. To think a demon would have the gall to try and take me away from Edmund. While we are friends and the occasional lover, Edmund holds my expertise on weapons above all others in his ranks. He would never allow another demon to steal me, even if there was the possibility that I would want to go with them. _

_I believe that this demon—Kuronue I believe his name is—was simply fickle in the head. The moment he saw me without my face guard he started to hit on me. Not that I cared really. I can truthfully say I have no feelings towards any man. Even Edmund. While he is great as a lover, I do not feel the emotion that so many of my race calls love. I hope Edmund realizes this and will not keep me from doing as I please. I may be a woman, and a human, but I have a mind of my own and whatever I decide should be what happens. I will not allow anyone to dictate what I do. _

_Deshiri_

_My 1302 day in the Makai_

The young woman could not figure out what this book was doing in her room, but she found herself unable to put it down. She found in its pages a woman much like herself—she was with one man and then another man came into the picture and she found herself falling for them. She started to skip over the names and simply read the girls thoughts on different things. It was as if this woman was reading her thoughts and putting them out on paper. She kept the book with her no matter where she went, reading a little here or a little there.

Soon she found that she could focus more on Charlie when they were with Kuronue and Inane. The tips that Deshiri had had when dealing with Ed and Kur, as the two men were nicknamed after the opening entry, helped her focus on the man that she had started to fall for.

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Hika was visiting with Kuronue, Charlie, and Inane at the restaurant where they had first gone as friends one day when Edmund had had enough of watching. He stood outside the restaurant, across the street, watching them laugh, eat and joke about. He was tired of watching them be happy despite Bleathe's attempts at breaking Hika. Edmund decided it there on the sidewalk that he'd make them remember everything.

He took a deep breath and leaned back against the lamp post to his right. This gave him a look of a man waiting for a ride and thus, made him less conspicuous. Slowly he drew on his power so that the creatures inside the restaurant would not feel his plan. Drawing upon it slowly he sent it flowing into the two he wanted to suffer. In his mind, he drew a series of locks that would unlock the moment that their lips would meet another's lips. When he opened his eyes he had a smile that would send chills down anyone's back and he walked off, a woman joining him as they walked. Her long dark hair reached her knees and she was smiling with a matching look to his.

"You have your orders Bleathe," he said, "Get her and take her to the clearing."

The woman stopped as the man kept going and bowed a little before turning to look at the restaurant and disappearing quiet literally from view.

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Kuronue was laughing as the girls had a staring contest. So far they had both blinked two or three times as he and Charlie tried to distract them. Kuronue was making a spider motion up Inane's shoulders, chuckling as she tried to get away from the 'spider'. Charlie was attempting to tickle Hika, making her cringe away as well, though there were giggles coming from her. Kuronue felt something itch at him for a moment but put it out of his mind as he continued to play with Inane.

Finally Hika couldn't get any farther away from Charlie and keep her gaze locked with Inane and she looked away, breaking out into a laughter that rang of gentle happiness. She turned and playfully slapped Charlie's hands away before snuggling in close with him. Kuronue watched this only for a second before he was pulled down into a kiss with Inane. He was enjoying it until it all hit him at once.

Memories from hundreds of years came slamming into him. He pulled back from Inane and blinked a few moments, staring down into her deep eyes. As he breathed in the memories of Deshiri returned to him. As his heart beat the memories of Yoko and the band of Thieves returned. As he blinked the memories—all of them—returned to him of Hiromi.

"Kuronue? Are you alright?" Inane asked, reaching up to touch his cheek as his happy face slowly disappeared to become a pained one. Charlie and Hika turned from about to kiss as well to notice Kuronue's stunned features.

Kuronue blinked and seemed to break out of his stupor. When he looked over at Hika there was a look of confusion and at the same time a thousand years of memories in his gaze as he stared at Hika. He noted the arm that Charlie drooped around Hika's shoulder and the way she was curled up contentedly under it.

_I can't. She may be Hiromi, but I can't take her away from that. She gave me her information. I have no more claim on her_, Kuronue thought as a sadness appeared in his gaze and he looked away, focusing on Inane again. As if to prove this to himself, Kuronue bent in and kissed the girl again, as much as it hurt to realize that he may never have Hiromi's lips upon his again or her body touching his.

"Sorry, I was just—Dylan," he said softly, naming the boy that had been shot at the meet. "I couldn't help but think about how the demon so easily killed him. I'd hate to lose you Inane."

As he said this, a young woman with long black hair appeared next to their table with a bright and easy smile on her lips. "Hi there, I don't mean to pester you all, but I need to speak with Inane. It's about our project in school, remember Inane?" she asked. Her voice was light and airy as her dark green gaze locked on Inane's eyes. Without being sensed by Charlie, Kuronue, or Hika, she slipped half of her power into the human and made Inane nod and seem friendly with her.

"I'll see you all later. I really need to get this project done with Bleathe here," Inane said with a bright smile as she turned and walked arm with arm out of the restaurant with the girl before any of her friends could offer to go with them.


	17. Chapter 17

Note from author: All right, so some of you may be confused. If you go back and read chapter 8 or 9 somewhere around there of the first part of the story (The Bat's Human Rose) you will note that Kuronue compares her to another human that he knew named Deshiri that he had fallen in love with. :3 See all my stories interweave. I promise. I'm not just pulling the diary entry out of my bum. In fact, I may (going to stress MAY) do a 'Diary of Deshiri' after finishing this story so that all you faithful readers can read from beginning to end. Though I may not since I've been so busy lately. So when you comment, go ahead and put 'Aye' or 'Neh' on the idea of finding out more about Deshiri. ROSEY

Chapter 17

It was the next day before any of them realized that she was missing. Kuronue had spent the evening thinking over his memories. Sorting them out and trying to figure out if he was feeling the love for Hiromi or Deshiri or for the new Hika. During this thinking he hadn't even remembered Inane as demonic senses came back to haunt his human mind. Why were they always the wrong species? Deshiri and Hiromi had been human when he was demon and now Hika was a demon when he was a human.

Charlie and Hika had decided that they were going to train the evening away, as Hika had done every night since the demon's attack. Any romance that might have happened was stopped when Ryota joined them to ensure that they didn't get all lovey dovey.

Kuronue noticed that the girl wasn't at school when he waited by her locker. He had determined sometime during the night that he couldn't take Hika away from something that seemed to make her so happy. He would watch from afar with his renewed memories. With this realization, he had also determined not to tell her that he remembered everything about his past life. That would only make it harder on the girl and that was the last thing that he wanted.

Eventually the man that waited for Inane realized that the girl hadn't come to school. He frowned and straightened, going to his class slowly, worry penetrating his mind. This worry only grew as she didn't come to class and then didn't appear at lunch either. Instead of hanging out with Charlie and Hika, he ran to Inane's house and checked in with her mother. She had never returned home the night before. The only reason her mother hadn't panicked was because she had gotten a call saying that she was with Kuronue. Kuronue shook his head and ran off; searching the places that he knew the girl would go to if she wanted to be alone.

Hika was just getting out of her last class and going to join the track team for their afternoon practice when a man stepped out in front of her. He had the same smile she had come to associate with the demon on his face. "I see you haven't found your lost friend yet," the demon possessed man said as Charlie came up next to the girl, wanting to see if the girl was okay.

"What do you mean?" Hika asked, "We aren't missing any friends."

"You aren't? Huh. Then I suppose that little girl'll never be coming home. I guess I'll have to tell her that you don't consider her a friend. And here my Lord Ethan told me she was one of your closest friends. He must have been mistaken," the man mused with a smile before he stumbled back, the possession ending. "What-?"

Hika didn't wait for him to say anything else. She and Charlie exchanged looks and then took off. Just as they were leaving the school grounds, Kuronue came running, out of breath. They didn't even have to exchange words to know what they were going to do. Each of them ran in a different direction. Hika pulled out her cell phone and called Ryota. They had to find the human. She was the only innocent part in the whole group. They were all fighting to find the girl—Hika's mother, father, Night and Takji along with the four youths of the group. No one could find Edmund though so he wasn't included in the search party.

Kuronue felt horrible, as if by remembering everything about Hiromi, he had left Inane unprotected. While he knew now that he didn't 100% love Inane, he did care for her from the human years that he had spent with her. He would protect her as much as he could and try to be happy with her.

As all of them ran around town, trying to find some hint as to wear she was. Hika and Kuronue finally ran into each other in the forest that they had been searching. As they ran into each other something happened. The moment they moved towards each other, both asking if the other had found anything, their surroundings changed. Standing between them was Inane, staring straight ahead of her at a demon that was about two times the size of Hika's body in all aspects.

"So there were only two of you? Too bad. I was looking for a better snack amount," the creature said before lashing out. His hand slammed directly into the human's stomach, sending Inane sailing against a crop of rocks behind her. As she slumped forward, another demon crawled over the top of the crop of rocks and took the girl's arms to hold her up so that the new arrivals could see the battered way that Inane's body was. After almost twenty-four hours in Demon World, the girl was battered, bruised and halfway to Lord Koenma's grasp.

"Inane!" Kuronue cried out, taking a step towards her only to see the demon holding up open a mouth full of scissor sharp teeth and neared the human. Hika slowly let her wings appear behind her, flexing them a little. While she hadn't flown in so long, she had noticed that the tear in her wing had slowly—very slowly—started to heal. It was maybe two inches smaller than it had been when it had happened.

"Now, why don't we all relax a little and we'll see about letting this human go back to Human world with all her limps intact," the demon asked with a grin.

"How about I take you and use you as demon fodder?" Hika snarled, "You can't seriously think that we would believe you!"

"No, of course not," the demon nearest Inane said. And with that he bit the human in the shoulder. Inane let out an ear piercing scream as the teeth pierced her shoulder.

As if they were Hiromi and Kuronue again, they moved as one, reaching each demon at the same time. Hika went at the larger demon, using her speed to circle it and start to attack. Kuronue ran for Inane, pushing the demon away with the spirit energy he had. His eyes were dark with hatred for the demon as he started to beat the demon away. When he was sure that it was at least unconscious, he ran to Inane and cradled her body. She writhed under his touch, gasping for air as the venom released into her body worked its way to her lungs and then her heart.

PS: Yes I know it's short. Don't worry. :3 Another one will be up either later today, or tomorrow.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

She was writhing in his grasp and he couldn't do anything about it. He looked up with death in his eyes for any demon that came near them. Hika was fighting as hard as she could against the demon, pushing it back with kicks, jumps and punches. She'd taken out a dagger and was fighting the demon with that now. Kuronue looked down at Inane as she gripped his shirt.

"Kuronue," she gasped out before another scream left her lips as she felt a pain in her legs that wouldn't go away.

"Don't worry. We will get you safe and to a doctor. I promise. Hang in there Inane, all right? Listen to me!" Kuronue told the girl, his eyes flashing with worry. His head snapped up however as Hika screamed loudly. She was sent sailing back by a kick to the gut. He was torn—help Inane or get up and help Hika with what little help he could offer.

The answer came when Hika shoved herself up and launched herself at the demon again, a look of rage on her face. Just as she reached the demon another figure joined her, adding his own power to the punch. Charlie, in all the glory of an elemental tethered to a human body, slammed his fist into the demon's stomach, helping Hika knock him back. Kuronue stared at the two that worked in perfect synchronicity. Where one went right, the other went left and met in the middle of a twist so that both their feet went into the demon's face at the same time from different directions.

Kuronue turned his attention to Inane and fed his spirit energy into her through the hand he grasped tightly in his. Battling back the venom, he concentrated. He could not let the girl die. Never would he let the last thing standing between him and his old life die. "Hang in there Inane," he whispered.

There were snaps of air as more figures appeared. A woman with long pink hair and blue eyes joined him and joined him in healing the girl. Kurama appeared next to Inane's head, a whip in his hand as he brought off the demon that had bitten Inane. A man with black hair that seemed to defy gravity and a sword finally cut off the head of the demon before disappearing to cut the head off of another demon that seemed to have appeared from the rocks that surrounded them.

"Kuronue!" Hika screamed. He looked up from helping the woman save Inane and saw the bat demon start towards her. He looked the way that she was looking and saw the woman that had taken Inane the day before turn and walk away from the battle ground. Everywhere demons were fighting the Spirit Detectives and Hika and Charlie.

Kuronue placed Inane in the hands of the woman and rushed off towards the woman that was walking so calmly away. "Wait! Get back here!" he yelled. His hand was an inch away from her as she disappeared from view. He stumbled forward and rolled.

As if she were some kind of signal the demons retreated from the group of humans and demons and the grim reaper. The Spirit detectives were the only ones that were able to get out of this scrap safely. Hika had bruises on her face and arms that could be seen and multitudes of smaller scratches. Charlie had also sustained some scratches.

The pink haired woman rose with the human and hopped onto an oar before Kuronue could object. "I have to take her to Koenma's Palace. He'll get his medics to take the poison out of her," the woman said before zooming towards the sky. Kuronue tried to protest but Kurama came over and put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Kuronue. Inane will be fine. Koenma wouldn't hurt her, you know that," the red head answered before looking at Hika and going over to look her over. "Dear girl, what have you done to your wing? I'd heard you torn it, but this is horrible." His hands ran over her wings membrane as their surroundings vanished and they were all in the forest again. Everyone snapped to attention from checking their wounds the moment their surroundings changed.

Kuronue was shivering suddenly as the night air took hold around them instead of the dry heat of the demon world desert. Damn he wished he had his pendant, and his wings. He blinked as those things hit him as almost funny. A more focused part of him said that it was probably shock. While he had been prepared to give up his life in order to kill the demon that was attacking Hika, he had never truly thought that he would go after Inane, or draw them into an ambush. He took a few steps back and leaned against a tree before sliding down and putting his face in his hands.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"We have to Botan!" Koenma said as he stood next to the bed that Inane was lying on as the poison was purged from her system. "She's an innocent human. Look at what happened to her! Our job is to protect humans from demonic deaths as much as possible. Kuronue will just have to deal with the changes."

"But it isn't fair to him! He's not the same Kuronue that fell in love with Hiromi those years ago. He's human! This girl means something to him my Lord," the woman exclaimed in reply. "You can't do this to him. We wanted Them to be happy but that isn't going to happen if you do this to him."

"It'll have to work. I broke a few too many rules for Hiromi to be reincarnated into a demon. Father is still not happy with me for doing it. If Kuronue doesn't love Hika in return, then that's too bad. I can't let another human die because of that man."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Kuronue couldn't wait to get to school the next day. Kurama had called him sometime during the night to tell him that Inane had been returned to her home. Kuronue was all for running over and checking on her, but Kurama told him that she would probably be asleep even if he did go over at that late hour of the night. Kuronue fidgeted as he waited next to Inane's locker much like he had the day before, his eyes worried. Anyone that saw him walked around him and didn't stop by their lockers.

Hika rushed over and was about to say something to him, worry on her face when he stood straight and started towards Inane that was walking towards her locker with a bright, smiling face on. "Inane!" Kuronue said and pulled her into a hug. That she did not return. He blinked a few times and pulled away, worry on his face as he looked down at her.

She was looking at him with a look of surprise and worry. "Kuronue, why did you hug me?" she asked, her voice nice and happy. There was no sign on her body that she'd been almost killed the day before.

"I'm just so glad you are okay," he said before frowning a little. "Inane, you are okay right?"

Inane had taken a step back, confusion on her face as she held her bag closer to her. "Why wouldn't I be Kuronue? Listen. I know we used to hang out together as kids, but that was years ago. You haven't talked to me since the fifth grade. I don't know why you are being all friendly now, but I don't want to hear it. Just being ignored by a friend for so many years is painful, and it's even more painful when they suddenly act like you are going out or something. Please, don't talk to me again," she said in a matter-of-fact way before walking around him and going to her locker where she was joined by two other girls that were whispering to her and pointing to where Kuronue stood, stunned.

Hika stepped over with Charlie that had come in on the last part of it. "That's what I was trying to tell you. It seems—"she started to say, but the look on Kuronue's face was one of despair and she stopped speaking all together.

The three of them stood there in silence as it sunk in to Kuronue what had happened. Koenma had had one of his mind wipers go through and erase every bit of them from her memory—at least anything that could be associated with demons. He'd even gone as far as to have them incorporate her into friendships with others. Kuronue felt numb as he walked away from his last two friends and out of the school yard. Hika stepped forward to go after him but Charlie caught her and shook his head.

"Go to class. I'll go find him and talk him around," Charlie told the girl before walking after his friend at a slower pace.

Hika looked after the two as a sense of dread came over her. This was a turning point. She didn't know what for, but it was for something—something big. Everything would go fast after this, she felt, and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

* * *

><p>PS: .^. Please, whatever you do, do not kill me. Inane needed to go. At least this way, her 'exit' was used in a productive way rather than a 'I hate you' romantic end? If you kill me... You'll never know if Charlie and Hika end up together or if it's Kuronue and Hika. ROSEY<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The next few days left Kuronue with an empty feeling. He had sworn to love Inane after seeing Hika and Charlie were happy. Right after that Inane was made to forget everything—their friendship, their love, their promises. Everything was gone like a leaf that had been burned.

Kuronue was left to watch Hika and Charlie try to not show any happiness around him. This only made him angrier. How could he help two people when he couldn't even get over the jealousy that he felt for them both? He felt jealous of Charlie because he had Hika. He was jealous of Hika because she hadn't seemed to get any o the memories of Hiromi or Deshiri back and for the fact that she hadn't lost the person making her happy in this life.

He was slowly eating a lunch prepared by Hika as he watched the two try to tease a laugh out of him by acting like goof brains. It was a good two weeks since Inane had stopped hanging out with them. He found himself watching Hika more and more with a stare that spoke of hundreds of years of life experience. Finally he had had enough. He rose from his seat and glared at them.

"How can the two of you act that way?" he demanded. "First we have that bitch to roast and then I have to make Koenma so afraid of me that he'll never screw with my friends and life again."

"Well, we don't even know where to start Kuronue," Charlie said reasonably, "She didn't leave many clues except some 'Lord Ethan' chap until we figure him out, we can't get to the woman that took and hurt Inane."

"And you haven't smiled since that day at the diner Kuronue," Hika pointed out with a small frown, worry on her face. "We are worried about you my friend."

"You-"Kuronue started with a growl. Why had she not remembered everything as he had? Why was he left here to suffer and she remained blissfully unaware of it all? He no longer had Inane to distract him from his want of the girl before him. Only his loyalty to Charlie kept him from sweeping in and kissing Hika right there. "You wouldn't understand. You have each other. It's disgusting. A bound elemental and a bat demon that can't eve fly. You couldn't even save Inane before it was too late. You both were too busy playing school to notice that she was gone!"

They were stunned into silence by this attack by their friend. He could tell that he'd hurt them, and a bit of him was glad. Glaring at them, he shoved the lunch he'd been eating back at them before stalking off. Charlie and Hika didn't even hesitate to pick up their lunches before they were both up out of their own seats, chasing after Kuronue.

Hika had know that there had been something wrong with Kuronue ever since the time in the diner when he'd looked at her weird, but she hadn't been able to quite figure it out. It was like he knew more than her and wanted to tell her but didn't.

_Why are you chasing Kuronue when you could be chasing me?_ Came the all too familiar voice of the man that controlled minds. The girl came to a standstill as a picture of her home flicked into her mind's eye before bursting into flames.

_Come here quick if you don't want your home destroyed._ A picture of the top of the school then appeared before her. She looked after Charlie and Kuronue. Charlie had caught up with Kuronue and was talking to him. She wouldn't be needed because Kuronue would listen to Charlie's calm logic right?

Without hesitation she ran for the school. She was up on the school's roof no more than ten minutes later. She would have been there in five if a teacher hadn't seen her running and told her to stop after a lecture on the dangers of running in the hallway. She had to admit that the teacher was very creative after listening to an example about how running could lead one to slipping and falling out a fourth story window.

She exited cautiously out onto the roof, looking around carefully for any sign of a trap. "Come on out you!" she shouted.

"No need to call quiet so loud," came a voice over her. She spun just in time to get kicked in the stomach with a booted foot as Bleathe swung down from her perch on the roof of the stairwell. Hika dropped and rolled. When she looked up she saw the girl that had taken Inane that day in the diner.

"You-"Hika started before her gaze moved upwards. There, sitting as if he were watching a horse race, sat Edmund.

"Hello Hika," Edmund said with an evil smile. "How are you this good day?"

Hika tried not to shift away from the cold words. They had—for the most part—trusted him. They had welcomed him into their home with the expectation that he would help protect them from the demon that had threatened Hika. How could he betray them like this?

"Oh don't look at me. Look at your opponent. Bleathe will be the hardest fight you've ever had in all of your lives," Edmund said, pointing down to where the woman had been before. She had seemingly vanished from sight. "She can mess with your mind as well as take it over. But you would remember that if you'd paid attention to Deshiri's precious diary."

As Hika spun around, her eyes seeking some sign of the demon woman, she tried to puzzle out what he had meant. She had read the diary from front to back and didn't remember anything about a 'Bleathe'. There had been so many different kinds of demons in it that it was hard to find one that matched what Edmund had just said. Hika wasn't a genius and couldn't remember every word of the diary but she remembered the parts about the demons.

"_And today we added a new guard to our ranks. She is to guard the prisoners and Edmund when she has no one to guard. Her name is Zanti. She has a daughter with her, but that is a side note of little importance_," Edmund read, holding up the diary he'd stolen from Hika's room when he had been sure she'd read it all. "_Zanti has the most peculiar set of powers I, a mere human in a demon's world, have ever seen. Not only can she control a mind, but she can also make a mind she touches see, or not-see, what she desires. It will be useful, that skill, while Edmund conquers._" He flipped a few pages as Hika turned around and around, trying to find some clue as to where to other woman had gone.

"_Zanti is dead. Good riddance. She was all over Kur any time she was alone, despite having multiple warnings from myself. Maybe this is cruel, but I am glad the demon whore is dead." _

Hika was remembering the passages as he was reading them. What that had to do with Hiromi and herself she didn't quite understand at all. Sure, Kuronue was a common factor but Deshiri—as far as the woman could find—had been alive at least three or four centuries before Hiromi. Other than their attraction to Kuronue, Hiromi and Deshiri were in no way related. Even family genealogy had cut out that possibility that they had been related through blood and thus connected that way.

"What does this have to do with me Edmund?"

"You will pay for Deshiri's crimes against my friend's mother Hika. It is too bad it is happening this soon. I was looking forward to making you squirm a little more. You and Kuronue are so much fun to torture," Edmund told the girl with a smirk.

"But why? What do I have to do with Deshiri? This is revenge for something I never did or had any control over?" Hika asked, frowning, trying to figure out the man and woman's logic. "I'm not Deshiri. I'm Hiromi's reincarnation."

"You are both," Edmund retorted.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20-Charlie's Tattoo

"You are both."

As if these words were some kind of signal, Bleathe attacked from behind the girl, kicking her in the middle of the back to send Hika flying to the ground. She rolled and was up on her feet within an instant only to receive another kick to the stomach that came from her right. Grunting the girl continued to roll until she hit a rail, jarring it loose. She pushed herself up and blindly ran away from the age. She didn't trust Bleathe not to throw her off the roof. Nor did she trust her eyes. Growling, the girl put her back a side of the stairwell, the only place that was even somewhat defensible.

"This isn't any fun Bleathe," the man on the stairwell said, "Come out of hiding. I want to see you beat this weakling up."

"As you say milord," the girl said with a laugh. Slowly Bleathe appeared before her as if water was running over her and cleaning off paint that reflected what was behind her to the person in front of her. In her hand she was playing with a deadly looking knife. Hika could feel her heart stop dead at the sight of it. It was as long as her forearm and very sharp looking. And Bleathe was just juggling it like it was nothing to worry about.

Hika frowned and pushed herself forward, recovering from the shock of the horrible thing. Maybe it wasn't real? After all, hadn't Edmund said that she could make her opponent see whatever she wanted them to see? She pulled out a dagger that she had hidden on her person and went for the woman that was watching her with a sadistic smile on her face.

Hika had been wrong.

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By the time that Charlie came to find Hika, having figured she had come up here to get some fresh air as she had many times when things had gotten hard as a demon pretending to be a human, he found her bloody and bruised being kicked around by Bleathe. The demon was having fun prolonging the agony of her victim. She kicked where her knife had bitten into Hika's stomach or side. Hika's knife lay far away from her, in no way helpful to the girl-demon.

Charlie didn't even hesitate after opening the door. He lunged at Bleathe and pulled her away from Hika. Due to her having been on one foot about to kick Hika again, Charlie was able to drag the woman back without much difficult, wrestling until he had Bleathe pinned under him. "Hika? Hika are you all right?" he called as he looked over his shoulder at Hika's prone body.

Hika pulled herself slowly up to look at Charlie with a grateful smile, a cut on her cheek bleeding freely.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you Charlie. Keep her down," Hika said as she shook herself in order to get ready to capture the woman and then go after Edmund. She crawled over and pushed down on the woman's struggling shoulders as Charlie grabbed her hands. "We'll make you talk and then we'll make sure that you die the lowest death for what you've done."

Edmund's glare was ice as he rose from his sitting position. He should have put some sort of force field up so that the woman's friends couldn't come and save her. As he watched the two start to tie Bleathe up with Charlie's necktie. He knew it was dangerous to let them take the woman alive, but it was equally as dangerous for what he planned to do for this elemental.

Before the two could notice him he drew a symbol in the air. Words in an ancient tongue left his mouth and flew through the air straight for Charlie's ears. Charlie stopped tying long enough for Bleathe to push him off despite Hika holding her down. Charlie fell back, his eyes widening as the tattoo around his body started to light up. As Hika knew from personal experience where she had fought with Charlie in training the tattoos covered his entire body in intricate layers that were almost in the shape of chains. These blazed white hot from underneath his clothes as they started to burn away.

"Hika-" he choked out. "Get-Get away!"

Hika stared at what was happening and scrambled back just in time for the first blast of heat ff of Charlie's body to fly over her head, singing only the bottoms of it. She turned to see Bleathe and Edmund facing off with Charlie. The elemental had risen from where he'd sat on the ground as his bindings became undone.

"What have you done Edmund? We can't defeat that," Bleathe whispered, taking an involuntary step back as Charlie's body temperature rose as did his power.

"No, we can't, but it'll take one of their most powerful weapons away from them," Edmund said as he also took a step back before gritting his teeth. "We have to make this seem like we didn't do it." He launched himself, bracing his body for the impact that would destroy him for the next few months. Crying out he hit Charlie. The impact with Charlie's burning up skin created such a wave of heat to radiate through the man's body that he was slammed back despite Charlie not even moving to stop him.

Charlie's eyes were slowly becoming red as the element destroyed his body from the inside. He had enough presence of mind to slam a wave of fire at the two before he collapsed onto the ground. This not only singed but burnt many parts of the two demon's bodies. Despite all this power being fed at them, none of it touched Hika who was starting to pale considerably. If he kept this up he'd die. They had to get the man bound again before it was too late. While she was thinking this, she knew already that it was too late.

Edmund smirked despite the pain. While it hadn't been his initial plan he could work with this. He helped Bleathe up and dragged her away, weakly flying through a portal that he had summoned in order to escape through.

As Edmund disappeared, Charlie's power increased. With nowhere to go it started to eat quicker through his body. It did not take long for him to collapse. Hika dashed to his side, braving the heat that was coming off him in waves to check his body with a trembling hand.

As she pulled back his shirt, she saw that there was less chain that there had been not two minutes before. Already the circle of tattoo around his neck was almost gone and the rest of them were slowly fading—no burning away from his skin, leaving burn marks on the human flesh.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21—Charlie's Goodbye

Hika slowly pulled Charlie up against the stairwell wall that was out of view of the doorway. She had to stop many times to rub her hands against the skirt of her outfit to cool them down for even through cloth his body could burn her fingers. In fact her hands had started to burn by the time that she had gotten him up against the wall so that he was sitting rather than laying in a collapsed lump. She knelt next to him and tore off her school jacket and dabbed at his forehead, wiping sweat away. She only stopped when she started to smell burnt material.

Her hands dropped the cloth as she tried to think of a way to stop what was happening. He had closed his eyes, trying to keep the power from eating his skin quicker. He had told her what would happen if his binding ever was destroyed in a conversation they had had one day after training while they were eating.

"_So, you are just the element pulled into one body right?" Hika had asked out of curiosity as she ate a bit of meat._

"_Correct," he had said in his accented voice as he took a sip of tea. _

"_So what would happen if your bindings ever broke? Would you be able to return to your human body if the bindings were put on again in time?" Hika asked, watching him from the corner of her eye. _

"_No," Charlie said, his gaze focused in the cup rather than at anyone else. "Hika, you must swear to get as far from me as you can if that day should ever come and we still are on speaking terms. Promise me you'll get as far from me as you can. It would not be a good idea for you to be anywhere near me at that point." His voice was crisp, clear, and completely serious. It had taken Hika by surprise at first as he had gotten up and left without a word, leaving his food virtually untouched. _

She hadn't dropped it though. She had gotten up and chased after him and forced him to tell her. The memory of his words rang loudly in her mind.

"_The bindings will slowly eat themselves up. Then the element will start to eat me from the inside out with waves of fire coming off me, or maybe heat. It's different for each of us. In the end I will die in an inferno much like when we first kissed only it will start out large around me and then slowly consume me. That much I know for certain. Any other damage to those around me I will have no control over. I will become the element and eat whatever is near me," Charlie had said. "You must promise me that the moment I start to deteriorate you'll leave me and go where you are safe. I don't care if it's into Kuronue's arms or another man's. You must promise to go where it s safe and makes you happy." _

Hika shook her head and frowned down at where Charlie sat now. "Please, Charlie, is there any way to make this stop? We could get Koenma come down here and-" she stopped talking as he shook his head.

"He'll take too long and I won't risk Kind Yama's son," Charlie said with a weak laugh. It crackled with the sound of burning wood.

It was at this point that Kuronue found them. He had felt the power that had started to accumulate when the seal was first broke and come running to find the source. He had expected anything but what he found there. Maybe there had been an evil demon attacking on behalf of the demon that had taken Inane, or maybe the Lord Ethan person had decided to come and pay a visit. Kuronue had expected so many things, but not that his best friend was dying.

Like Hika, he had been told to stay away but he'd never actually thought that Charlie would let his binding break. Charlie was too careful about it. Yet, here he was sitting against the wall, his power only increasing as he sat there with a girl trying very hard not to cry next to him. He slowly neared but stopped as Charlie's hand snuck out.

Charlie reached up but barely touched Hika's cheek so as not to burn the skin there. Slowly he opened his eyes and his weak smile trembled as he looked up into Hika's face as she watched him. "I'm glad that you didn't listen Hika," he whispered before leaning up. His lips met hers in a passion filled kiss.

Hika was surprised to find that despite the heat in the rest of his body, Charlie's lips were ice cold. She pushed into the kiss as the tears started to form. She slowly pulled away as she felt the heat around them triple. As she opened her eyes something hit her. Two something's simultaneously run into her body. The first was Charlie's hand. It shoved her out of the way just as a wall just like the one he'd created the day they'd first kissed shot up around him. She didn't get up at first as the three generation of memories slammed into her mind, temporarily numbing her to the danger that was no farther than a foot away.

It was Kuronue that finally dodged in and gripped the girl's arms and dragged her to her feet. He pulled her away as the fire engulfed Charlie's body. A piece of the fire broke away and reached out for the two before falling down and joining the rest of the fire. As it drifted down, Charlie's voice reached them. "Take care of each other. I will watch from the flames." Slowly, the fire broke down, leaving Kuronue and Hika alone on the roof.

Hika trembled in his hands as she stared at the spot where Charlie had been. Her body was raging for control of her emotions. On one side, she was being overwhelmed by memories from over 100 years of living. On the other side she was trying to break free of Kuronue's grip and run to her beloved Charlie. But it was too late. He was gone and there was nothing that she could do about it. She sagged in Kuronue's hands and let the tears fall. It was too much for her. Too much loss, too much gained, just too much.

A passage from the diary of Deshiri came to mind as she stared at the spot with everything warring inside her.

_Kur says I am like a rose that should never be plucked. I responded that I have been plucked so many times that there was no way that his statement could ever be true. His response was that I should be burned and then pressed in a book to show what happens to those soiled by evil_. _I must agree with him. Edmund and his lot are evil. I am burned and will never be pure as a rose again. I am the Bat's burnt Rose, and he doesn't mind._


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22—Free Falling

"I'm not going!"

"You are going! If you don't go they'll think it's strange."

"Don't you understand that he's dead! Charlie's gone! I loved him and he's gone!"

"But do you want the rest of the school to see you staying away? They'll think you had something to do with it."

"I don't care."

"You are going." This was a new voice. Hika's father walked into his daughter's room and tilted his head as he stared at his wife and his daughter as they stood off, glaring daggers at each other. His wife was stately as always despite her glare. His daughter on the other hand was glaring as hard as she could. Hika's eyes were red from shed tears that she had cried the night before.

Hika turned that glare on her father after he'd spoken. "I'm not-"

"You have to go. Cry if you must. Spread the story that he's been kidnapped or ran away with another girl. Spread something. We must still live here Hika, even if you don't want to," the man said, giving his daughter a look that said that he wouldn't take another answer from her besides that she would go.

Hika growled in frustration and turned away to hide the look of pain that had crossed her face at the idea that Charlie could have ran off with another woman. She looked at the flame that burned on a candle that she had lit the night before when she'd returned home. She'd spent the night crying over Charlie's death and looking into the flame in an attempt to see him. She didn't care if it was only a small flame, she still felt close to the man that she had fallen for when she had been ignorant of the emotions that her body had felt for Kuronue for two lifetimes.

When she hadn't been crying she had been trying to comprehend the knowledge that she wasn't just the reincarnated version of Hiromi, but also of Deshiri. This new information had only made her feel worse.

Hika grabbed her clothes and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. It was childish, but it was the only way she could think of taking her hatred at the world out on anything that wasn't another person. Once she was in the shower, cleaning furiously at her skin with a washcloth, she lost the anger as if the water was washing it out of her. She was left with a numb feeling that threatened to overwhelm her.

She had truly started to fall in love with the elemental. While she had known somewhere that someday his bindings would break, she hadn't thought it would be so soon. As selfish as it was she wished she had the power to bring back the dead—or at least the power to go up and visit Koenma and demand he bring Charlie back. But that was impossible. There would never be a Charlie again. He was part of the fire and would never be able to separate again in any complete way. The closest she could be was by having a flame near her at all time.

She pulled herself from the shower and pulled on her clothes before leaving the house with her bag. She didn't care about anything else. She just wanted to get out of the house where everyone expected her to get over her attachment to the elemental. Her steps fell in line with Kuronue that was also walking to school in a stunned state.

Much like Hika he had not wanted to come to school, but he had been unable to come up with an excuse that his parents would believe. Unlike Hika's parents, he couldn't tell his parents that he was a demon and wouldn't need this schooling. Of course he was still human. He was simply a human with demon memories and high spiritual energy. He looked over at Hika as she walked next to him and then away.

While it was nearing the beginning of summer, instead of wearing the simple white dress shirt that the boys were allowed to wear at the time, he had brought his black school jacket and had it on. His eyes were cold to anyone that dared meet his eyes though they didn't hold any emotions. He was mourning in his own, quiet way. He wasn't going to cry like Hika, but nor was he just going to forget it like Inane would when she graduated.

The two separated when they reached school each to their own locker and then to their own class. As he thought about her he realized that his previous jealousy had been unwarranted. It hadn't been her fault that Charlie was an elemental and not a weak human. The moment that the Demon had attacked Hika and taken over Inane, Kuronue should have made sure Inane wasn't involved. It was really all his fault that Inane had gotten involved. He supposed that hindsight was twenty-twenty as so many said.

For Hika the day went slow. Everyone that had been friends with Charlie came up and asked where he was. Each time, if she could, she'd manage a quick smile before leaving the group. When she couldn't get away she'd simply say that she hadn't talked to him since the day before. Either way she kept a calm face while her insides raged at the stupidity of human and of life.

For Kuronue, he kept his jacket on and didn't speak to anyone that wasn't necessary. Anyone that did talk to him, save for teachers, got a look that scared them from asking him what was wrong a second time.

As the day wound down, Kuronue slowly changed for track where he was determined to run as fast as possible and get as much of this energy he couldn't seem to get rid of out. When Hika hadn't shown up by the time that the rest had, Kuronue asked one of the girls if she had seen the girl. No one had seen her since lunch the girl told him and he sighed. He put that girl in charge and took off on a slow jog.

He didn't need to run to find her. She wouldn't hurt herself. The demon that had killed Charlie was still out there. And if her emotions were anything like Kuronue's, he knew that she wanted revenge more than anything in the world at that moment. That wasn't his human part speaking either. Hika had grown from the immature young woman that he had met that first day on campus to a woman with a sense of reality.

No, Hika would not harm herself, Kuronue knew. "Three lifetimes sure can make you know a girl," he muttered as he shook his head and headed up the stairwell that would lead to the roof.

The girl was standing, looking out over the city with a calm look. Despite that exterior calm, her insides were in a riot. It had been Edmund that had released Charlie's tattoo. It had been Edmund that had sent Bleathe after her. It was Edmund that had hurt Inane and then convinced Koenma that Inane's memories had to be erased.

She didn't need an explanation from him. Everything had come back to her—her love life as Deshiri with Edmund, the friendly suggestions Edmund had made to Hiromi, and the way he had watched her as she'd gone through the house. To Hika it was clear. This was revenge on her for having found another that suited her better, first Kuronue and then Charlie.

The girl didn't even turn when Kuronue stepped up next to her. She inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly, closing her eyes as the sun started to dip down into her eyes.

And that was where the two stood for a good half hour, listening to the shouts of the team below them. It wasn't until the school yard was quiet that Hika stepped forward and leaned against the railing that her body had slammed into the day before. It wasn't stable, but she didn't care for a moment.

"It's unfair," she whispered finally, breaking the silence. Kuronue opened his eyes that he'd closed in a silent prayer to the elements that Charlie would be welcomed easily into the Fire.

"Everything about this situation is unfair," Kuronue agreed, watching her as she leaned there. "Why should we be punished for our past lives?"

"Let's not get philosophical, shall we?" Hika asked, turning to look at him with dull eyes. She turned her body and leaned back against the railing. She started to bend back, looking up at the darkening sky as she tried to get her back to pop.

"Only stating a question," Kuronue said, unable to help smiling a little at the whine that had come unbidden to Hika's voice. Deshiri had hated philosophy. He wondered if the woman standing before him knew that part of the woman he had once loved. Of course, he supposed he still loved her, even if this wasn't the most appropriate time to admit it.

"Your questions have a tendency to get us into trouble. Remember the one that got Edmund, Deshiri and you thrown into a prison for two weeks? The one about 'Why should we worry about guards?" Hika asked with a weak smile as she continued to bend back, putting more pressure on the rail that started to bend a bit. No matter how far back she went she still couldn't seem to pop her back.

"It wasn't 'Why should we worry about guards'," Kuronue said before hesitating. Hika looked up at him and blinked. It was in that moment that she realized that she hadn't been the only one that remembered everything. Her gaze saddened a little and she went back to trying to pop her back despite the railing's wobbling.

"That's right. It was 'Why did Edmund say there would be two guards when there are obviously no guards'? And then twenty guards showed up," Hika whispered.

"Maybe you should—"he started to say, but it was too late. The railing busted just as Hika heard a satisfying pop from her back. Back the girl demon fell, a look of shock on her face. She pulled out her wings as she tried to fly her way out but it was no use, she was falling, and fast.

Kuronue didn't even think. He launched himself forward, jumping off after Hika, reaching out to grab her wrist. As if time slowed for a second his eyes widened and sharpened. Wings appeared behind him as something in his mind clicked. He flapped wings that had not been there a moment before, breaking their fall so that they landed in the grass as if they had floated down like a leaf. The girl was cradled against his body, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

As she looked up from where she lay curled up, she looked up into the eyes of Kuronue as his wings disappeared. He was able to smile weakly. "At least we didn't get injured. Imagine what Charlie would say if he found out I let you break your neck before we got those bastards that killed him, huh?" he asked.

"You and your stupid questions," the girl growled, shaking her head before realizing that he was passed out. His spirit energy—the amount that he'd had at least—was depleted she realized as she checked him over for any wounds. "You and your stupid, stupid questions Kuronue." She sighed and shifted so that her lap was underneath Kuronue's head, giving him a pillow. She looked down at him with a sad smile. "He would have said that I was a stupid girl for having leaned against the railing. And he would never have blamed you Kuronue. Charlie wasn't that kind of man." She said this to his unconscious body as she sat there, his head on her lap as the sun dipped down under the far away horizon.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23—Kidnapping

The month that was left until Summer break went slow. Hika and Kuronue were pushed together as they were the only ones that seemed to notice Charlie's disappearance and death. A newspaper article came out that he had been killed in a hit and run, thanks to Koenma and while the school did mourn, it wasn't a true mourning. Not like Kuronue and Hika went through. They sat together and didn't even speak for days at a time when they had nothing to do. But all the while their presence next to each other comforted them.

Hika stopped crying at night when no one was around. Kuronue stopped pacing his room for hours on end as he tried to think of some way to get his demonic powers back and go after the two people that had destroyed his friends.

Sometimes the two of them would simple sit and discuss ways to make Edmund pay for the death of Charlie and the pain that Inane went through before her memories were erased. But they never actually chose a decent way. They'd laps into silent and then get up from where they sat and start practicing against each other.

For Hika, it was the only way for her to get her extra energy and not think for a time. For Kuronue it gave him a chance to hone his energy and practice against a demon with little limits.

They found they didn't care who looked at them funny after a time. They did what they wanted with little talking. They didn't have to talk. They became so in tune with one another that even before one showed up the other had the book or the pencil that the other had forgotten up and ready for them to take. This made for sparing tournaments that could go on for an hour or so before the two of them sat back, or lay depending on where they were, and relax.

It was on a day about two weeks after the end of the school that Hika found herself home alone for the first time. Her parents and Ryota had gone off on their latest clue to find Edmund, swearing to bring him back alive or summon her to them when they did find him. After they had left she had gone on a jog because she knew that Kuronue would not show up until noon to begin their ritual of sparing again for that day.

Her feet hit the ground in a rhythmic set. Finally she jumped over a wall and landed just inside the garden. A small smile graced her lips before she turned and walked upstairs before freezing. So used to silence these days she was that her ears quickly picked up the sound of creaking wood. She jumped back and out of the way just as Edmund jumped out and made a grab for her. Up and over his head she floated so that she landed behind him. Her eyes, when she registered the man's shape, grew to be as dark as an oncoming storm's cloud.

"You bastard," she snarled and launched forward without thinking. She should have known better. He was older and smarter than her. She did make some headway. She made a good three, or four punches before he had her pushed up against a wall with her arm bent unmercifully up behind her back.

"Oh, aye, I'm a bastard, but you are a bitch that remembers everything you've ever done to me and I'll make you pay for every second of it, but first, I should take you before they find you," he whispered before making a tsk tsk sound. He reached up and without ceremony or hesitation yanked the ear rings that would keep Hika protected from mental control out of her ears.

Her screams could be heard all the way out on the street as the earrings clattered one at time to the ground next to her.

"Can't have you spoiling Bleathe's fun with those earrings of yours, now can we?" the man asked in a sadistic sneer before his fingers pushed into a pressure point at the back of her neck.

She was able to get one last scream out before blackness pooled around her and she fell limply to her peril.

Note from the author: I know it's short. I know you are probably cursing me for such a cliff hanger. :3 And I love you all, I hope you know that. But I wanted to tell you all that the next couple of chapters (24 to 29) will be much fuller of details. In fact, I'd like to start the countdown actually. We are in the last 6 chapters plus an epilogue, of the story. :O ROSEY


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24—The Reason

He was late. He'd been meaning to get to Hika's at noon, but his mother had stopped him to have a 'chat' about Charlie's disappearance a month ago and how it wasn't nice to play with a girls heart after the death of a loved one. Kuronue had smiled and reassured his mother that he had no such intentions; that in fact he had no interest in Hika what so ever—which was a lie. While yes, he had no intentions of moving in on Hika and forming a relationship at the moment, he had more than a little interest in the woman that he'd been (as he saw it) destined to be with since they were both young in soul.

Kuronue shook his head at his mother silly mind and moved down the street at a leisurely pace. He had to admit that he was feeling a bit better after a night of remembering Charlie with Hika. They had spent the night before out in the forest around a campfire, staring into its depths and remembering how Charlie had acted and been.

He took out the key that he had gotten from Takji and Night the week before and entered the large house's front yard. He looked around, expecting Hika to come out and lead him to wherever they were going to train together that day. When she didn't show up, he moved through the house, curiosity getting him more than worry. It wasn't unusual for Hika to be out of the house, but he had been pretty sure that she had said to come around noon.

Finally, when he had checked everywhere and not found her, he pulled out his cell and tried to call her as he pulled out a bottle of water. He was cut opening the bottle when someone picked up the phone.

"Hey, Hika, where are you? We were supposed to meet and train today right?" he asked into his phone as he took a gulp of water.

"And here I thought I would have a bit more time with her cute, unconscious body," came the voice that haunted Kuronue's dreams of revenge, always out of reach but so close at the same time.

Kuronue tensed, his jaw clenching shut as he swallowed the water. Slowly he put the bottle down on the counter and spoke in a chilly voice. "Where is she Edmund?"

"Oh, with me, and Bleathe. Did you know, Bleathe knows this lovely little way to stretch her out so that no man would ever want her again because she wouldn't be able to hold anything in?" Edmund said in a cheerful voice, as if he were discussing good weather with the man on the other end of the phone line.

"You touch her Edmund and I swear I'll figure out whatever way you speak of and do it to you before shoving you into a prison. Of course, most men in prisons don't mind if you are loose or not," Kuronue hissed into the phone, pacing around the house until he found the site of the fight. How had he over looked it?

"Oh really? Well, first you'd have to find us and by then it'd be too late for the little girl," Edmund replied in an almost laughing sort of way making Kuronue's hatred for him increase two fold. "Now, if you want to see her alive and, well, kicking, screaming and everything else that she'll be doing once she awakens from the wonderful sleep she's having, then I suggest you do exactly as I say over the next few hours and we'll all see each other nice and safe."

Kuronue bent and looked at the earrings on the floor and the blood that had pooled around them. Slowly he picked them up and held them tightly in his fist.

"I'll take your silences as a childish way of saying yes. So, to begin you'll write a note saying the two of you have decided to go on an overnight trip to the temple of Fire in the neighboring town in honor of your old friend Charlie. Should you write anything other than that on there, then I'll have my way with Hika. Did you know that she's innocent? Completely innocent in that way. I was a bit surprised at that really. I was sure that she would have given herself to Charlie or you," Edmund said, rambling now to annoy the man on the other side of the phone.

Kuronue growled and wrote the note, and put it on the kitchen table before turning and interrupting Edmund in a rant about how unfair it was to have a girl so beautiful as Hika being killed as a virgin. "I'm done you ass, now what?"

"Oh, right, now you can go home and wait for a call. Believe me; you'll have a better time at your house. Did you know that your mother is allergic to tangerines? I didn't until I did a little bit of research on her. She was incredibly unlucky to receive a to-go order this afternoon while you were away that had tangerines in it. Of course she didn't know that. You might—"

Kuronue shut off the phone and ran. He didn't waste time on cursing the man. He just ran.

From one emergency to another, Kuronue ran. He saved his mother from an allergic reaction to tangerines. He saved his father from being ran over by a driver that had 'lost consciousness' and ran into a build his father had been about to walk in front of. He saved Inane, without her knowledge of course, as a demon tried to take her again.

It felt like it never ended. He'd get some sort of hint via a text or a call or a voicemail. Either way he found himself finally being lead to a clearing that he remembered clearly. It had been the one where he and Hika had kissed. As he looked around, he tried to figure out what the latest clue was.

'A forest clearing where two lovers met is where the final task is for you. Finish it without help and you might see your own lover for a short time.' had been left on his voicemail.

It finally figured itself out as he stood. A girl that could have been Hika's twin walked out and stood in front of him. She looked up at the sky as if she couldn't see him. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her as she gazed up. Quickly he bent in and kissed the girl in the same –relatively—fashion that he had given Hika that long time ago.

"Very good Kuronue. It's nice to see that you don't care who the person is that you are kissing, as long as it looks like Hika you'll be happy, huh?" Edmund's voice came from behind him. Kuronue yanked back and stared at the human girl that had changed to a demon with a cat tail and ears. Kuronue spun and looked for the man that had tormented him for the last five hours. As he glared up at the man two demons grabbed hold of his arms and held him tightly.

"You are such a stubborn demon. Here I'd thought that perhaps you would have given up. You know, after a while the humans would have been left alone if you had chosen to not save them." Edmund said with a smirk. "I have no problem with humans. It's just you and Hika that I have a problem with. That Miss Inane got hurt was a mis-step on the demon's Bleathe hired to guard her."

"As if I would believe you," Kuronue snarled, trying to yank his arms away from the demons. "Why are you doing this? You worked for Koenma to protect Human world from demon's like yourself."

"Why?" Edmund asked, a look of shock crossing his face before he sneered down from the seat he was sitting on. "Why indeed. Don't you remember all your life by now? You kissed Inane the afternoon I put the spell to release your memories on you."

"I remember. You were a demon that captured me when I was a young demon. So what? I never hurt you personally," Kuronue growled in response. "There was no reason for all this."

"Oh but there was," Edmund answered with a dark chuckle. "Why don't we start with what you did when Deshiri was alive no? She was _my_ lover Kuronue! I'd found her when she was but a young girl left in demon world. I took her, brought her up and nurtured her spiritual energy. She gave herself to me!"

"And then she changed her mind," Kuronue snapped back. "Girl's have that option as much as men have the choice to change their minds on a girl. What does her scorning you have to do with us today? That was three lifetimes ago."

"It was more than that Kuronue. Deshiri had promised to marry me when I became powerful enough. But then you came along, got captured and wooed her off her feet so that she could think of no man but you. Even if we slept together she would muffle it but I'd hear you name come off her lips when she was in ecstasy," Edmund growled, pushing himself up and stalk towards Kuronue. "Now only did you do it once, you did it twice! I waited for Deshiri to be reincarnated. I got her out of having to be put into heaven! I exchanged my freedom for that wench to be born again. And then she gets kidnapped by you during a job and she falls for you yet again!"

The punch came out of nowhere. Kuronue doubled over and was held up by the two demons that held his arms.

"I could have had the one woman I cared about, but no, you had to seduce her each time," Edmund snarled, his face turning ugly with rage.

"And then I was so glad when Hiromi died because without a word from the top dogs she could never be reborn and you could never have her again," Edmund said with a sadistic laugh, providing another punch to his stomach. "But Koenma felt sorry for her and let her be reborn a second time! That isn't supposed to happen you greedy bastard. She was supposed to head straight to heaven not return as a half demon. And you know what Koenma told me thinking that I didn't care? He told me that Deshiri's spirit had begged when it was her turn to be processed after Hiromi died to be reborn one last time at a last chance to be with you."

NOTE FROM AUTHOR: Well there you all have it, the big reason behind the attack in Bat's Human Rose and the reason behind all the other crap that has happened to Kuronue and Hika. :3 ROSEY


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25—Fear Becoming Reality

"How is she doing?" Edmund asked as he entered the control room. On one wall from floor to ceiling there were a variety of monitors. Sitting in front of them with a view of everything sat Bleathe. Next to her stood a young woman with blond hair that was watching her with a gentle love. Edmund didn't care about the other young woman though. His eyes sought out the room that he had deposited Hika in.

"She's just waking up," Bleathe said, bringing one of the monitors down to the middle for easier view.

"Let her out. It's time for her to fight," Edmund said before turning form the room. "Oh, her opponent is in the ballroom. Make sure she gets there Alis."

The blond haired woman turned to look at Edmund and bowed. "Yes sir."

/

Hika was checking out the relatively large room that she found herself in. She reached up and winced as her fingers ran over stitched up ears. She felt a small amount of fear as she realized that she had no defense against Bleathe if she ran into her. Slowly she checked everywhere before turning to the double doors that she hadn't even attempted to open. While that may have been logical for most people, she didn't ever assume that something would be the easiest. Especially not with the demons that had hurt her already.

When she neared the doors they opened wide to reveal a beautiful woman in a floor length dress. Her blond-gold hair was arranged around her face to give an almost surreal picture. The dress was a sun-bronze color while her lipstick and eyelids had been painted the same color.

"If you will follow me Lady," the girl said, her blue eyes sparkling with humor, "I will take you to a place that you could win your freedom." She then turned and moved from the doorway. She held her head tall and led the way down long, large hallways. She didn't check to see if the girl followed, seeming to trust the half-demon.

Hika looked around the room and then followed the woman. She set her senses on high just to be safe though. What she found in the large ballroom that she was eventually led into was not what she had readied herself for. She had been ready for a fight against Bleathe or Edmund, or a thousand other demons but not _Him_.

Kneeling, chained to the floor, was Ryota. He looked battered but alive. Hika ran passed her guide and dropped to her knees next to her brother. She was undoing his bindings when he began to chuckle. It was a dark chuckle that wasn't like the kind one he had provided her many times to hear since he had joined the family again.

"So Edmund was right," he said, his hand pulling free of the bindings without a single problem, taking Hika by the throat. Hika squeaked and then grunted as she was thrown against one of the nearby walls. Ryota rose from his position on the floor and looked over at her with a sadistic grin. "Oh this shall be fun. Do you know how long I've wanted to fight you properly Hika? Just you versus me without any holding back? Ages."

Hika stared up at him, knowing almost instantly what was going on. His voice had the same crackle that all the other possessed victims had. This angered her more than she had thought it would. After he had returned, Ryota and Hika had bonded, they had become strong together. Ryota had been worried about Kuronue hurting her and he'd been worried about her ever since Charlie died. Now they were going to use him to hurt her? Oh no, she would not allow that. Now she wouldn't allow that at all.

"Get out of him and come fight me yourself then," Hika said as she straightened.

"Oh but I might break a nail that way. No, I think Ryota would be a better form of fighting you out of sheer self-preservation. Come, before I kill Ryota like I killed that kid back at the track meet. Then Ryota's death would be on your hands as well. How can you sleep at night?" Ryota asked her, stalking towards her.

"I can sleep because I know it's your fault that they died. And I'll make sure you don't get a chance to hurt Ryota," Hika growled before leaping forward, taking the offensive. She knew Ryota's fighting style almost as well as he knew hers. She would dodge and he'd be there, ready to strike out at her only to have her dodge because she knew he would throw that punch.

She was fighting forward, offensively whenever she could. Ryota and Hika both took punches that they should have been able to miss if they hadn't both been fighting offensively. Bleathe didn't care how much pain she put Ryota in, but Hika did. She aimed her punches and kicks at the sensitive areas of his body that would do the most damage with the least long lasting effect to him.

It came down to them both panting an hour later. Hika could feel unconsciousness creeping in. She could tell that Ryota was close to that point to. She launched herself forward with the last of her strength and smashed into Ryota with all her might. His arms locked around her and Bleathe laughed.

"You knock him out, I'll just find some other way to get him killed. You'll never win. If you knock Ryota out, I'll just jump to Alis there and kill him with her powers. If you get knocked out then I'll leave him but you'll never be allowed to leave." Bleathe taunted through Ryota's body.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26—Hika's choice

"You knock him out, I'll just find some other way to get him killed. You'll never win. If you knock Ryota out, I'll just jump to Alis there and kill him with her powers. If you get knocked out then I'll leave him but you'll never be allowed to leave." Bleathe taunted through Ryota's body.

Hika had been about to knock her brother out through a pressure point in his side that she'd found on accident during a training session with him two weeks after he had joined the family again. The options were limited. She was stuck. She couldn't hurt him, but she couldn't lose. Or she could lose and give her brother a chance to live his life without interference from Bleathe and Edmund.

The girl struggled free from her brother's grasp and stumbled back. She stared up into Ryota's eyes and felt like she was staring through him into Bleathe's own eyes. The choice was simple.

"What if I give myself to you?" Hika asked.

/

Kuronue was in a side room to the ballroom, facing off with Edmund. Half way through the fight he had been led there after receiving a half-heal from a girl named Alis. On the door was a one-way mirror that showed what was happening in the other room. His eyes were locked on Hika as she fought with her brother.

"Let her go Edmund! Who she falls for is her own choice, but I unfairly influenced that by taking her each time. Let her go!" Kuronue tried to weasel him out of hurting the girl that he'd found himself falling in love with again.

"Oh, I don't think so. Not until she realizes that she'll never be free of me. Ah, there is the sign," Edmund said as he watched Hika pull back from her brother and whisper a few words. "It is too bad that you will never taste her lips again. I'll take her, give her my mate's mark while she's controlled by Bleathe and then she'll be linked to me for the rest of her life."

"No!" Kuronue snarled, pulling free of his guard's grasp and lunging at Edmund.

/

"What if you give yourself to me? Well! That would make everything three times simpler," Bleathe said with a laugh "You'll regret saying that little girl. But how can I refuse such a wonderful offer.

Ryota cried out as he collapsed, his hands going to his head as Bleathe pulled from his mind and jumped at Hika's. Just as Hika felt Bleathe slip into her mind she caught a glimpse of a man falling through a pair of doors to her right. She turned her head to look just as Bleathe yanked her consciousness back.

_Kuronue!_ she screamed as she saw him kicked off by Edmund and his human body went skidding across the floor into Ryota's unconscious body at Hika's feet.

/

Note From author: I know that this is short. :3 I know, you probably want to kill me by now for what I've put these two through. WELL! If it makes you feel any better we are down to only having Chapter 27, 28, and 29 plus an epilogue left. Perhaps more chapters will be put up this evening. Depends on how long they turn out to be (I personally thought this would be much longer when I wrote it up on my notebook paper. o^o Please do not hurt me for shortness). ROSEY


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27—Kuronue Unlocked

Kuronue forgot Edmund the second he heard the cackle from Hika. She was standing there as if nothing was wrong with the scene before her, laughing as if it were going out of style. The woman that stood there was no longer his Hika. It was Bleathe completely. He pushed himself up and put his hands on Hika's shoulder, shaking her body in a vain attempt to get her to wake up from the possession. All he got was a laugh in his face form Bleathe that pushed him away.

"She's gone lover boy!" Bleathe said as she held her stomach. It had been so simple to make the girl take her over. The last bit of life left was crying out for Kuronue as if he were some kind of drug that the girl couldn't live without. "She is gone and she'll never come back."

Kuronue stared at the woman that stood there before he saw red. That was all he saw. Her body was surrounded by red; her normally pale skin became red. He didn't hesitate. He started to attack. As he fought he felt his spiritual energy, which had been slowly depleted over the time he'd been sent on stupid protection details of his family from Edmund, begin to rise from its low level.

Bleathe, using Hika's full demonic potential, easily dodged any attack that Kuronue launched at her. In fact, she simply started to dance suggestively as she dodged. The dodges became hip thrusts or sidesteps turned into twirls that from anyone else would have been beautiful. But having no control over her body it only seemed pointless on Hika. When she got tired of 'dancing', Bleathe turned her attention to Kuronue and started to fight back.

It was obvious from anyone's perspective that Kuronue wasn't fighting smart. He took shots that he could easily have missed just for an attempt to knock the girl out. "You can't have her!" he finally growled as he pushed himself up from where he'd fallen from a volley of punches to the gut. He coughed and a few splatters of blood splattered over Hika's shirt front.

"Oh? Says who? She doesn't love you. You two are not lovers. She holds no mate's mark and had no intention of taking one while you were there," Bleathe said with a snicker. "She loved that elemental we set free. She loved him and could never love you."

"It doesn't matter if she loves me!" Kuronue shouted. "All that matters is that I love her and I won't let you treat her like some puppeteers puppet!"

/

_Hika looked up. She could have sworn she'd heard something from inside her dark prison that was her mind. Everywhere around her she felt the presence of Bleathe. She looked towards a Monitor that let her see outside for quick glimpses. Kuronue was standing there as if he had been through a war. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered him falling through a pair of doors as Bleathe had stolen her mind. _

"_He shouldn't be here," She whispered to herself. _

_**He's saying that he hates your guts**_**.**

_That was Bleathe's interior voice that reverberated inside Hika's mind. _

"_I don't believe you," she whispered back. _

"_It doesn't matter if she loves me!" _

_Hika looked up, blinking. That hadn't been Bleathe's voice nor her own. She looked towards the monitor and saw Kuronue shimmering with Spiritual energy. She had only seen him sparkle like that with energy once—when he'd saved her from being crushed from the fall. _

"_All that matters is that I love her and I won't let you treat her like some puppeteers puppet!"_

_Hika started to uncurl from her position in her prison of a mind. _

/

"Well she doesn't like you so it doesn't matter. Splutter all this love nonsense as long as you want. It won't help her come back. She's dead. The only person you'll get back is me." Bleathe snarled, sensing the energy that Kuronue was starting to build up. She looked up and noticed Edmund hovering over them. He nodded when she looked up at him.

_It does matter! I love you too Kuronue!_ Hika screamed in her mind. But of course Kuronue couldn't hear it. He grunted as a pain in his back started to grow. Unlike the time before, this was forced and was taking a bit longer.

"I'm not going to let you hurt Hika any more you bastard!" Kuronue snapped as his eyes flashed with power. The spirit energy slowly changed. As it changed his back arched.

"Attack him you idiot!" Edmund ordered, realizing what the human was trying to do.

Bleathe did as she was told. She pushed Hika's body forward and punched him—Or tried to. He caught her fist just as his wings shot out from his back. Kuronue stood there panting as he held Hika's body.

"Hika, if you are in there, listen to me. I've loved you since the first time I saw you as Deshiri. Remember there. You will always have my love, no matter what form our souls take," he said, his eyes determined as he punched Hika in the gut, taking the breath from her. As she stumbled back he shot into the air, aiming straight for Edmund.

The punch to the gut did exactly what Kuronue had meant it to. Bleathe flinched away from the pain, giving Hika a few seconds opportunity to take a foothold in her own mind. The words encouraged her to do just that. Bleathe turned her attentions to the girl, letting Hika's body crumple to the floor as her attention turned inward.

"You'll regret that girlie," Bleathe hissed in her mind.

"You'll regret lying to Kuronue," Hika hiss back as she launched herself at Bleathe in her mind.

/

Kuronue flew up to hover a few feet away from Edmund, his power ragging around him to anyone that felt like looking. "You'll pay for hurting Hika and her family Edmund. I said it before and now I'm here to collect what you owe them," he snarled.

"Come little boy," Edmund replied with a sneer. "Let's see what you can do."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28—Hika's Revelations

-Inside Hika's mind-

She was grappling with Bleathe for control of her mind. Kuronue's words of love had given her the desire to get out and beat the living crap out of the woman that had convinced her that she should give up her mind. However, despite this desire, she was at a stalemate. Both women had an equal hold of her mind and they were fighting it as a window opened to show the fight above them. Kuronue was fighting Edmund much like Bleathe was fighting Hika for control of her mind.

Hika snarled as she felt a stab in her mind that could only be the other woman trying to sever her from her mind. She cried out, her mind screaming for relief from the pain as Bleathe dug herself deeper into Hika's subconscious, giving her an almost impenetrable defense unless Hika wanted to hurt herself in the process.

She felt something prod her in the back and she spun in the dark room that was her mental prison. She stumbled back when she saw a woman that was her identical twin but was wearing an old fashion silver and blue kimono and had hair that fell to her hips. Her eyes were ones that showed a life full of hardships. She was somewhat older than Hika as well.

"Hiromi?" Hika asked, taking a step back in surprise. The woman tilted her head to the side and then nodded.

"You haven't personally gone through the horror of having no control over your body as you watch yourself kill young ones have you?" Hiromi asked. She even had a similar voice to Hika who was staring at her in surprise.

"No," Hika whispered.

"Then you do not understand why you cannot let this woman, Bleathe, take control. You will lose your independence," Hiromi whispered before disappearing right before Hika's eyes.

In her place stood a woman that was as much the same as Hiromi as she was different. She stood a tad bit taller, but that was from the pose she'd taken. Her shoulders were held back at almost military standard. Her gaze was not nearly as gentle as Hiromi's had been, but at the same time, one could see the gentleness in her hands and at the corners of her mouth as she surveyed the young half-demon.

"I never would have thought that I would have gotten a third chance to be happy with Kuronue," Deshiri, for that was the only one that Hika could believe she was, announced. "Much less as a half-demon. I figured I would always be stuck in a human's body and he would have to see me die each time."

Hika was at a loss of what to say. She opened her mouth several times before falling quiet for a moment. "Why are you visiting me?" she finally asked, though her voice held nothing but respect for the woman.

"Because you need help to defeat the woman's daughter. Do not worry, she will not hear this. Really you are just standing there in her view doing nothing. We are as much a part of you as you yourself are," Deshiri said.

"But you seem to think of us as different people that inhabit the same body," Hiromi said behind Hika as her arms enfolded the girl in a hug. She smelled, Hika realized, like roses and of hours near horses. She felt Deshiri's arms enclose around them next and the smell of Hiromi mixed with the smell of wet dirt and rain soaked grass. She inhaled and realized that these two women weren't so different from her after all.

"But we aren't," Hika finished. "We are the same. We always have been, but we didn't realize it."

"Exactly," Deshiri said with a nod.

"Precisely," Hiromi whispered.

Hika suddenly felt something grow inside her—power. Raw power from a soul that was three generations old and growing with each second that Hika remained alive and kicking. Her mental eyes shot open and she saw Bleathe before us.

"We will not allow you to ruin our lives again," Hika stated. Her voice was hers, but at the same time different. It was Hiromi the Bat Lady's and Deshiri the Original and Hika the Newly come. It registered such power that Bleathe could feel her senses sing with surprise. Bleathe was starting to regret going after the girl. Hika stepped forward and grabbed the mental version of Bleathe. As she did her hands began to glow and compress.

Bleathe screeched in her mind, struggling to get away from those glowing hands. But it wouldn't happen. She couldn't get away. She couldn't retreat to her own mind where she'd be safe. It wouldn't happen. She was stuck and she was being torn to pieces.

/

Alis entered the room where the monitors were set up. Bleathe's body sat there, staring with dull eyes at the monitors. The golden woman stepped forward and checked her pulse. She then closed Bleathe's eyes and turned from the sight and leaving.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29—Ryota's Choice

Outside of Hika's internal battle was another battle raging. Kuronue, despite his newly awaken demonic powers, was still getting beaten badly by Edmund. Kuronue found himself checking on Hika at times when he should have been dodging this attack or that attack. When her body jerked up, he tried to dive to her side to make sure she was okay only to get slammed into by Edmund.

"Bleathe! Get over here and help me take care of this bastard," Edmund shouted.

Hika trembled as she fought to stand. She looked to where Edmund had Kuronue pinned to the ground. She stumbled forward and made it appear that she was still Bleathe to the best of her abilities. When she neared, Edmund pushed himself away, noticing the small differences that Hika couldn't help but show—the worried look when she looked at Kuronue, the giggle that wasn't quiet as sadistic as it should have been.

Edmund instead turned and tackled Hika, putting her body between his and Kuronue's. Kuronue had risen and been about to punch Edmund in the back. He pulled his fist back just in time to keep from punching Hika in the face.

"Can't attack your precious Hika now can you?" Edmund taunted as he bent down and licked Hika's neck, pulling her shoulder length hair back . "Maybe I should mark her right now?"

"Maybe you should let my little sister go before I rip your balls off, hmm?" came a voice behind him just before a fist caught him in the side of the head. Edmund and Hika went rolling to the side. Ryota came into view, looking the worse for wear but alive at least. His eyes sparkled with something that scared Hika a bit. It was a sparkle that spoke of trying dangerous things.

Edmund pushed himself up and faced the other demon, forgetting the two lovers for the moment. He had told Bleathe to put him under completely. Of course, he'd also told Bleathe to keep Hika busy for as long as possible if not keep her completely occupied until Kuronue was about to die.

Hika pushed herself to her feet before stumbling forward. Her fight with Bleathe had taken more from her than she had at first realized. She could no longer feel the energy from Deshiri or Hiromi in her, though she knew that they were a part of her always. She stumbled towards Kuronue who remained where he lay, trying to get the energy to sit up.

Ryota looked at the two and growled as his body became bulkier. He was summoning the rage that he had used to hurt his sister that night all those years ago. He didn't look away from Hika until she turned to gaze at him with worry. He put on a smile as he was tackled by Edmund. "Tell mom, it had to be done," he whispered, knowing she would hear him. He wrapped his arms around Edmund as they flew back.

Hika frowned at first before she realized what Ryota had meant. Her eyes opened wide. She pushed herself up from Kuronue's side and started forward. "No! Ryota you can't!" she screamed. She didn't want to lose her brother a second time. That's why she'd offered herself up as a home for Bleathe.

But it was too late. Ryota roared as a part of himself detached and he became the barbarian he had been that night. He was Edmunds equal now. He was fighting, pushing Edmund back and forth. Then, when he felt his breaking point coming up he let it go. All of his energy pulled into one punch. He had to make it count. After he let this punch fly, he'd have no energy whatsoever. His brain would stop functioning because he was even putting that energy to a taxing level. He would die—but he would die for the sister he had hurt all those years ago. He would protect her like he hadn't been able to back then.

His punch connected with Edmund's stomach. With so much energy focused on one part of his body, it ripped open, taking a majority of his chest with it. Edmund collapsed with a stunned look on his face. Ryota looked up and smiled as a tear ran down his cheek. He'd saved her. He'd saved his sister.

Hika had watched all this as she cried for Ryota to stop, to give it up, that the three of them could fight together and get Edmund to leave them alone if they just turned him into Koenma, even if she didn't believe it. She didn't want to lose her brother. It was just then that her mother and father burst in with Takji and Night at their backs. All four had signs of fighting on their bodies.

The four of them spread out, checking everyone over in silence. Hika was still screaming at her brother to get up, to stop playing dead, and to move. To show that he couldn't have been stupid enough to use a Swan's Song attack like that. Her parents were grieving in their own silent way. They held onto each other as they stared at Ryota's dead body as Night helped Kuronue sit up and Takji had draped a warmer shirt over Hika's shoulders.

/

Kuronue limped into the dojo where Hika sat curled in a ball, staring at the plaque that had been put there in Ryota's honor. Next to it was one for Charlie, Deshiri, and Hiromi. Hika had spent most of her time in the last three weeks since Ryota's death staring at those plaques.

Kuronue stood, his wings folded at his side. Unlike the time before it seemed that Kuronue had awakened his true demonic self and had been allowed to keep his wings. As he entered the room, Hika looked up from where she sat. As their eyes met, they knew what they had to do. Hika rose from her place and walked over to Kuronue. He took her in his arms and held her tight.

"I can be ready in two days." Kuronue whispered.

"Five for me," Hika replied.

"Hika?"

"Yes Kuronue?"

"I love you."

Hika slowly looked up from where she's buried her face. "I've always loved you, from the day I first set eyes on you as Deshiri," she confided.


	30. Chapter 30

Epilogue

Takji and Night ran through the halls. The humans were staring at the demons as they searched everywhere for Hika and Kuronue. While the two of them had been nearly inseparable since the day that they'd killed Edmund and Bleathe, the two hadn't even been seen together for the last few days. Now both of them had disappeared. Worried that they were going to lose their daughter again, Hika's mother had sent the two demons quickly to the school to see if they had simply gone to mourn Charlie since it was the three month anniversary of his death and also the first day of classes.

"Takji!" Night called from Hika's classroom. The other demon flew to her lover's side and stared at the scene before them. On two desks sat two identical set-ups. A candle sat, burning brightly on each desk. Next to it was a rose and a piece of paper. Each paper was signed by the person that sat at that desk.

Night walked over to one of the desks and picked up the piece of paper. On it was a simple line and Hika's signature. Around it were four emblems—a rose, a bat, a flame, and a human with a cloth over her eyes.

_Until the End of Time, together all four of us shall be. _

_Hika_

Takji walked over to Kuronue's desk and picked up the piece of paper on his desk. While his held the same four emblems it held a different line.

_Until the End of Time, she will be mine and I shall be hers eternally,_

_Kuronue_

Night looked at the two piece of paper and then held the piece of Hika's over the flame on Kuronue's desk. It ignited in a small flame as Takji repeated the process with Kuronue's note in Hika's candle. They locked eyes and smiled.

* * *

><p>Note from author: And there you have it folks. The end of the story. 3 ROSEY<p> 


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